Burnham pulls out of BBC phone-in amid speculation

Greater Manchester's mayor has pulled out of his regular phone-in slot amid speculation he is preparing to launch a bid to return to Westminster and challenge for the Labour leadership.

Sir Keir Starmer is battling to save his job after four ministers quit and dozens of Labour MPs urged him to resign after last week's heavy election losses

Andy Burnham was due to appear on BBC Radio Manchester's Hotseat, but a spokesman for the Labour politician said he had to "prioritise discussions arising from last week's elections".

Meanwhile, two local MPs who were reported as willing to step aside to provide a path to Westminster for Burnham have denied claims they are preparing to give up their seats.

Burnham would need to become an MP before he could challenge for the top job.

But Afzal Khan, the MP for Rusholme, and Withington's Geoff Smith, have both said the rumours concerning them stepping aside to spark a by-election, were false.

A spokesman for Burnham told the BBC: "As you know, Andy doesn't like to miss the Hotseat.

"But this week, to get the best deal for Greater Manchester, he has to prioritise discussions arising from last week's local elections."

After days of pressure, Starmer warned his ministers and MPs on Wednesday that a Labour leadership contest could result in "chaos", amid speculation that Health Secretary Wes Streeting is plotting to challenge him imminently.

Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is also seen as a potential challenger to Starmer, said she had been cleared by HMRC of wrongdoing over her tax affairs.

She told ITV she would not make a pact with Burnham to challenge the prime minister.

"I'm not doing deals or anything like that," she said.

Supporters of Streeting told the BBC they expected him to challenge the prime minister for the Labour leadership as soon as today.

Burnham also pulled out of a speaking engagement the day after last week's local council elections.