UK in limbo as Burnham challenge brings chaos to Starmer cabinet

London: Major decisions have been frozen at the top of the British government after leadership challenger Andy Burnham met Prime Minister Keir Starmer to negotiate a transfer of power before any formal contest has been held to decide who holds high office.

The decision heightened the sense of disarray in government when Starmer is meant to be finalising a major defence spending plan, after a cabinet split two weeks ago when ministers could not agree on whether to put more funds toward national security.

Labour officials will not open nominations for the leadership until July 9 to replace Starmer in the following weeks or months, but Burnham remains the only contender for the top job and appears to be at odds with the prime minister over major policies.

Burnham is being widely portrayed in the British media as the nation’s next leader even though he has not formally nominated, has not outlined his agenda for national government and has not made any significant public remarks about his plans.

The challenger’s only public statements since Starmer announced his departure plan on Monday morning (6.30pm AEST) have been some brief remarks to reporters and his oath of allegiance to the King at his swearing-in at the House of Commons that day.

Starmer held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday in an attempt to continue with normal business, despite the extraordinary leadership moves that mean Britain will have its seventh prime minister in a decade.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has gained ground in the polls with his policy vows to cut welfare and halt migration, demanded an election, but appeared unable to force the issue given he has only a handful of MPs in the House of Commons.

Farage also came under pressure of his own on Tuesday when he clashed with reporters on the BBC and ITV over their questions about a £5 million ($9.5 million) gift he received two years ago from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne, who is based in Thailand.

Asked by the BBC what the money had been used for, and whether it had been spent on his security, Farage dismissed the questions.

“It’s literally none of your business,” he told the BBC.

Farage and his party have stronger support than either Labour or the Conservative Party, with 24 per cent of voters favouring Reform in a survey by YouGov this month.

The pressure from the right-wing party led to sweeping losses for Labour and the Conservatives at council elections in May, piling pressure on Starmer because many of his own MPs thought Burnham would do better at taking on the right.

Burnham has made headlines as a potential prime minister for the past year, with his allies briefing the British press on his talents, but he has not been a cabinet minister in a national government since 2010.

He ceased to be the mayor of Greater Manchester upon his election to the seat of Makerfield last Thursday, returning him to Westminster so he could gain the numbers to replace Starmer.

Starmer and Burnham met on Tuesday, a day after the prime minister’s resignation statement, but neither side revealed any outcomes from their discussions. Burnham also met Labour MPs to prepare to nominate for the leadership.

Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on July 9 and close one week later. Starmer said on Monday he wanted the new leader to be confirmed in office by the time Parliament returns on September 1 from its break over the northern summer.

But with the leadership uncertain, the European Union said it would postpone a UK-EU summit that had been planned for July and due to be attended by Starmer.

A key stumbling block is defence investment plan Starmer wants to unveil before a NATO summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara on July 7 and 8.

The cabinet dispute over the spending plan triggered the resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey on June 11, and The Times reported on Tuesday that the final spending commitment was still to be decided.

If Starmer finalises the spending within weeks, this would bind Burnham if and when he ascends to the prime minister’s office, and would limit his spending options when his supporters on the left of the Labour Party may want more spending on social programs.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch challenged Burnham to tell the public what he would do on defence.

“We had a defence secretary resign because he says the country is not being defended, we’re not funding defence,” she told the BBC.

“What’s Andy Burnham going to do about that? Will he cut welfare? Because that won’t make him very popular, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Badenoch said a Conservative government would cut welfare even though it would be unpopular.

“If we keep pretending that being prime minister is a popularity contest, we will keep getting people who can win elections but who cannot run the country,” she said.

Former armed forces minister Al Carns, who quit alongside Healey on June 11 over the defence spending dispute, did not rule out running for the leadership. “I’m not ready to make a decision on this in any way, shape or form,” he said.

Another contender is Darren Jones, a senior Cabinet minister and Starmer ally, but he has not declared his hand.

Potential candidates need the support of at least 81 Labour MPs, a fifth of the parliamentary party, to start a formal leadership contest that would be overseen by Labour officials and require a vote from thousands of party members.

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