Ally of UK's Burnham urges talks with Starmer on leadership handover

Labour lawmaker Louise Haigh expressed hope that Prime Minister Keir Starmer and leadership hopeful Andy Burnham can agree a "managed way forward" to avoid a leadership contest.

British lawmaker ‌Louise Haigh, an ​ally of leadership hopeful Andy Burnham, said she hoped Prime Minister Keir ‌Starmer and Burnham could speak soon and agree "a way forward," adding there was a desire to avoid a contest to replace Starmer.

"We ‌hope over the coming days that the prime ‌minister and Andy can speak and agree a managed way forward," Haigh, a former transport minister, told BBC News, after Burnham's by-election win paved the ⁠way ​for him ⁠to challenge Starmer. Starmer has said that he would fight in a ⁠leadership contest.

"Just six weeks ago, the Labour Party was facing an existential ​crisis after the local elections, and it's quite clear the ⁠prime minister can't take us into another set of elections," Haigh said. "I ⁠hope ​he (Starmer) reflects on the results last night, and does what's right, in the interests of the country ⁠and of the party," she said, adding that Burnham had returned ⁠to parliament "to ⁠change Labour and to take that right to the top."