Labour civil warfare LIVE: Starmer beneath hearth as Burnham pushes for return | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Shabana Mahmood was placed on the spot by Laura Kuenssberg in a spiky interview.

The BBC journalist mentioned: “The real challenge, which you know, and I know and everyone watching knows, is that Keir Starmer and his allies are deeply nervous about allowing Andy Burnham into parliament, because it’s no secret he wants his job. That’s what this is about.”

Ms Mahmood mentioned: “Look, I think we should take Andy at his own word. I really appreciated the tone of the letter that he wrote yesterday. He addressed that letter to me as the chair, but it was for the wider party as well.

“And his case, as he has made it, is to need to are available and be a part of the staff and to take the battle to reform, utilizing the success of Manchester as a part of that argument. If he is additionally mentioned clearly, mayoralty up for grabs in reform, which is a a lot greater job, with no offence to the person MPs.”

She continued: “That’s an enormous job. But Andy has mentioned, in his personal phrases that Keir is one of the best individual to be the prime minister has made it very clear in his letter what his motivation is for wanting to come back into parliament.

“I do believe Andy Burnham, because I take him at his word. I’ve never had any reason not to take him at his word. I trust him as I say, we work very closely together, and I am going to take what he says at face value, because I know I can do that with Andy.”