Keir Starmer has held face-to-face talks with his likely successor, Andy Burnham, as he pledged a “smooth transition” of power following his resignation.
The UK prime minister met the frontrunner to replace him in No 10 for the first time since the former Greater Manchester mayor’s byelection victory for an hour-long “off-site” discussion, as first reported by The Times.
Burnham will also start receiving government briefings to prepare for power after Starmer authorised Civil Service access talks to begin for “prospective candidates” for the Labour leadership.
The prime minister told his Cabinet he wanted an “orderly transition” and insisted he would try to make the process “as easy as possible” for his successor at a weekly meeting on Tuesday morning.
Downing Street said no “major” new policy decisions or spending pledges would be made in the coming weeks, adding that Starmer would agree priorities with Cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo in the coming days.
But the defence investment plan (Dip), which has been delayed amid wrangling within government over its funding, is one loose end he intends to tie up before leaving office – having committed weeks ago to finalising it by early July.
His plans to push ahead with publishing the document before the Nato summit on July 7th have the potential to cause friction with The Times reporting allies of Burnham believe the decision should fall to the next leader.
An ally of former defence secretary John Healey, who quit over the Dip earlier this month, also warned against publishing a “half-baked” plan before the new prime minister was installed.
“We know this Dip settlement falls well short, and an incoming PM will still have to meet the same requirements. So clearly there is a strong argument against publishing a half-baked Dip now,” they said.
Asked whether Starmer was concerned about the work of government grinding to a halt during the transition process, his official spokesman said the “normal business of Government continues”.
“The PM wants a smooth transition, he wants to make sure that the process is as efficient and effective as possible,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the former Greater Manchester mayor will begin to set out his policy platform by pledging economic growth and committing himself to Labour’s existing fiscal rules in a speech next week.
He is widely seen as a prime minister-in-waiting following his Makerfield byelection win and his main rival, former health secretary Wes Streeting, backing him to succeed Starmer, who announced his resignation on Monday.
The prospect of a potential leadership bid by chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones also appeared to be diminishing on Tuesday as sources close to the minister said he was highly unlikely to stand.
Jones, a key Starmer ally, is said to want assurances about Burnham’s economic policy amid concerns among some about potential unease in the markets, but allies said he was not minded to run against him.
Elsewhere, former armed forces minister and Royal Marines officer Al Carns told journalists at the Foreign eSporty News in London that he had not ruled out standing in a potential contest.
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He said Burnham would “listen” to the Parliamentary Labour Party and “he’ll take advice on policy ideas, and hopefully he’ll be able to drive them forward at a pace and with the boldness and courageousness that is required to keep that social cohesion and make us successful in the 2029 general election”.
But he added: “A vision without a plan is a dream and if you don’t have it, it can turn into a nightmare pretty quickly.”
Asked whether he would launch his own leadership bid, Carns said: “A decision is often based on multiple factors. I just need to see and buy into that vision and that policy and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
Starmer ally and Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said he wanted a swift transition and suggested a contest would not be in the best interests of the country, saying he believed the transition should be swift as he spoke to broadcasters this morning.
Burnham, who only returned to the Commons as the new MP for Makerfield on Monday, could be in Downing Street within weeks if a challenger does not emerge.
Talks are also said to be taking place about who will sit in his Cabinet, with energy secretary Ed Miliband and home secretary Shabana Mahmood both tipped as potential candidates to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor.
The chancellor’s successor would be bound by the rules she set, which aim to restrict borrowing and pay for day-to-day spending out of tax revenues by the end of the decade.
But Burnham’s allies said no jobs had been given and no deals had been made as of Monday evening.
If he is the only candidate to receive the support needed to stand in the contest for the vacant Labour leadership, he could become prime minister as early as July 17th.
Later on Tuesday, Labour announced Manchester City council leader Bev Craig as its candidate to replace Burnham as metro mayor after the role was automatically vacated following his election to Parliament.
Councillor Geraldine Coggins will stand for the Greens in the contest due to take place on July 30th.
Starmer said he would ask Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to set out a timetable that would see a new leader in place by the time Parliament returns from its summer recess on September 1st if there is a contest.
But Burnham could be the only candidate when nominations close on July 16th.
Potential candidates have until then to amass the support of at least 81 Labour MPs.
