Angela Rayner allies are pushing her to strike a deal with Andy Burnham to let him back into Parliament – but only if she becomes prime minister first.
Sources close to the former deputy Labour leader say Rayner does not believe that the hugely-popular mayor of Greater Manchester has a “realistic chance” of becoming a MP before a leadership contest is triggered.
Allies of Rayner have convinced a number of MPs originally backing Burnham that she is the only candidate from the “soft left” that can replace Sir Keir Starmer if the starting gun on the race for 10 Downing Street is fired imminently.
This is despite the fact that Rayner, who was forced to quit the cabinet last year, is still being probed by HMRC after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on an £800,000 property in the well-heeled area of Hove in East Sussex.
According to those familiar with Rayner’s thinking, she is not pushing this idea personally, although they acknowledge that MPs are looking at a number of different scenarios depending on how events play out.
Operation Bring Back Burnham
Starmer is facing a perilous few days after Labour was annihilated in the local elections last week.
Catherine West, the former minister, publicly indicated over the weekend that she will stand against him as a “stalking horse”, widely seen as an attempt to flush out the main contenders including Wes Streeting, the health secretary.
However, earlier on Monday she appeared to back down from her threat, saying that instead she now collecting names of Labour MPs to call on the prime minister to set a timetable for the election of a new leader in September – a move interpreted of being persuaded to pull back from the brink by Burnham supporters.
The prospect of a longer timetable would allow time for the mayor of Greater Manchester, to potentially return to Parliament and join a leadership contest, although Burnham could still be blocked by the Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), which voted 8-1 not to let him stand in a by-election in January.
On Sunday Rayner publicly called for his return as she accused Starmer of “toxic cronyism”. She said that blocking Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election in January was “a mistake” – a view she reiterated during a speech on Monday to the Communication Union Workers’ conference.
Over the weekend, Starmer triggered widespread ridicule amongst many Labour MPs when he insisted he would not step down and planned to govern for a decade.
It is understood that Rayner as prime minister would be prepared to let Burnham stand as a MP and return to Parliament – and even stand aside for him if she cannot turn around Labour’s dire poll ratings.
The offer has piqued the interest of several Burnham-supporting MPs, including prominent members of the Socialist Campaign Group, who are all desperate to prevent Streeting, seen as on the right of the Labour movement, from replacing Starmer.
Many MPs are concerned that Burnham will continue to be blocked by the NEC, which is stuffed with Starmer loyalists keen to shore up the prime minister’s position.
Rayner is the only route back for Burnham
A series of embarrassing U-turns and defeats in the House of Commons, has been severely weakened the Prime Minister’s authority, but he has soldiered on without facing a challenge. However, Starmer is now facing calls to resign from more than 40 MPs since Since Labour lost almost 1,500 council seats in the local elections last week.
Allies of Burnham were panicked by West’s unlikely announcement over the weekend as they are concerned it may trigger a leadership contest before the mayor of Greater Manchester can get back into Parliament. Some are now forming alternative plans to ensure that a candidate from the soft-left wing of the Labour party replaces Starmer in case Burnham fails to return in time.
Some are even encouraging Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader and energy secretary who is popular with the membership, to stand amid reports support for Rayner is ebbing away.
But others still believe Burnham is the party’s best option – even if it means backing Rayner in the first instance.
A Labour MP who was previously supporting Burnham said: “The only route in for Burnham is Rayner. We are doomed if we do not support Rayner.” The MP said Starmer had to be challenged immediately otherwise the momentum to replace him would dissipate.
Another MP added: “The only way Burham can get back to Westminster is if Rayner is PM. Burnham has been letting the soft left think there is a route in when there is not.
“Rayner will let him return to Westminster and even promise to hand over the reins to him in the event that she can’t turn the polls around. She knows this will be a challenge because of the ongoing attacks from the right-wing press so there is a decent chance it would quickly fall into his lap.
“The only difficulty with this plan is three Labour prime ministers in quick succession would not be ideal, but at the moment we can see no other option.”
Rayner would be ‘compelled’ to stand against Streeting
However, this extraordinary offer has not convinced all the MPs currently backing Burnham. Louise Haigh, the powerful leader of the soft-left Tribune group which commands the support of up to 100 MPs, is against the idea and still believes the party should be patient and wait until Burnham is back in Parliament.
She is understood to have reached out personally to Rayner in an attempt to stop her fomenting dissent with the Burnham-supporting contingent.
Sources close to Rayner say her statement last night was an attempt to flush out Streeting. She has told allies that if he stands in the contest she will feel “compelled” to stand against him.
Allies of the health secretary claim Streeting is prepared to stand for the leadership if Starmer’s premiership “falls apart”, but insist he will not be the “first mover”.
Today, Westminster was gripped with growing rumours that a Labour MP is set to resign to make way for Burnham’s return.
Last week, The i Paper revealed that allies of the mayor of Greater Manchester had offered peerages to MPs in a bid to persuade them to stand aside. However, Burnham would still have to be approved as a candidate by Labour’s NEC and win a by-election, all of which would take at least six weeks.
Rayner’s offer to Burnham is not the only sign of co-ordination between their camps. The i Paper can also reveal that several commissions to develop new left-wing policies have been jointly set up by allies of both Burnham and Rayner.
A source said that friends of Miliband are also involved in the commissions, which are exploring new approaches to the economy, defence and justice. Miliband has previously been linked to the position of chancellor of the exchequer in any future Burnham government.
Last week, it was reported that Miliband had privately suggested to Starmer that he should consider setting out a timetable for his departure.
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