The wait is almost over.
Like football fans anticipating the World Cup, Westminster has been holding its breath for next week’s “existential” Makerfield by-election, perhaps the most consequential in recent political history.
Thursday’s poll will determine whether Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham can return to Parliament and challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the keys to Downing Street.
And if it felt make-or-break a month ago, John Healey’s devastating resignation as defence secretary in a row over military funding on Thursday ramped up the stakes even higher for a Prime Minister who has vowed to fight any leadership challenge.
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The price, size and variety of eggs differ
But which is the best value
for money and taste?
Food Editor Sophie Morris
tested 15 supermarket packs, scrambled and fried.
Her findings? The most expensive wasn’t the best.
Supermarket eggs taste test
M&S Golden Yolk Eggs
These shells win the beauty contest and the yolk colour is amazing when scrambled. 4/5
Taste the Difference
These Sainsbury’s eggs taste as good as they look with gorgeous orange middles and a rich flavour. 4/5
St Ewe Rich Yolk Eggs
These are “higher welfare” free-range eggs but the yolks taste no better than other high-end eggs, says Morris. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Aldi Golden Yolk Eggs
Winner! The Specially Selected eggs are a great price with a delicious yolk. 4/5
Savers Small Eggs
Morrisons Savers eggs are great for the price (£1.10) but not rich in flavour. 3/5
Burford Brown Eggs
They taste great, but not noticeably better than the other high-end eggs. The spend is more to do with branding. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
7Tesco Finest Bluebell Aruacana
The pale blue shells won me over but the insides are just as rewarding with a rich flavour.
4/5
8Waitrose Duchy Organic Eggs
Their sunny yellow middle scrambles beautifully into light, fluffy folds.
4/5
9Lidl Deluxe Golden Yolk Eggs
They’re a great deal and the yolk is a lovely bright orange and the taste is rich and eggy.
3.5/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
M&S British Free Range Eggs
Large eggs with brown shells and a light orange yolk and they’re a great price for high-welfare large eggs. 4/5
Ocado Large Free Range Eggs
These are the best value large eggs that I try. The yolks are a dark yellow and the eggs turn out a lovely rich and fluffy scramble. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Packington British Free Range Eggs
Pretty white eggs with a yellow yolk that taste fine but, given the price, I expected a little more. 3.5/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Waitrose No.1 Longstock Gold Eggs
They are delicious: meltingly rich, they scramble into fat folds. They have beautiful green shells, almost too pretty to eat. 4/5
Caption: Eggs are seen in a carton on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Photographer: Jenny Kane
Provider: AP
Source: AP
Caption: A detail of cracked egg falling into the pan as woman holds egg shells in both hands.
Photographer: SimpleImages
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Asda Organic Mixed Size Eggs
The yolk is a pale yellow and when scrambled the result is an unappealing yellowish grey colour. These are the most bland-tasting of the lot. 2/5
Food inflation could reach as much as 10 per cent by the end of 2026
Why you should stockpile
The modern food system is incredibly efficient – but that efficiency depends on a constant flow and just-in-time delivery. Stockpiling, at its best, isn’t panic buying. It’s creating a small buffer between us and a system that was never designed to pause.
Séamus Higgins, author of Food and Us: The incredible story of how food shapes humanity
Supermarkets will find ways of holding down the price of the basics, and try to make their money on the fancy lines (Photo: Roy James Shakespeare/Getty)
What you should consider buying
Tap water is generally safe to drink in Europe (Photo: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty)
Bottled water
While we are accustomed to free-flowing water, in recent years, supply has failed for a number of days in many areas of the UK.
Canned essentials
Morris keeps tomatoes, beans, pulses, chickpeas, lentils and fish in her cupboard.
Chickpeas are a great source of protein (Photo: Christian Mouysset)
Many of us like to add milk to our tea, so you may be wondering whether that affects its benefits (Photo: Maca and Naca/Getty)
Tea and coffee
As prices vary, and are increasing, it’s good to bulk buy if you can.
What you should stockpile
Dried goods
A base of dry goods, like rice, pasta, oats and flour, are the backbone of a reliable pantry. Make sure bags are stored correctly and replace them when they go out of date.
Caption: Asian girl grocery shopping in supermarket. She is choosing fresh fruit juice along the beverage aisle, reading the nutrition label and checking ingredients on the bottle. Making a healthier food choice and balanced diet. Healthy eating lifestyle
Photographer: d3sign
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Caption: Close up of a woman preparing a wholesome breakfast by pouring oats into a bowl from a plastic free jar with fresh berries.
Photographer: Dougal Waters
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
Copyright: Dougal Waters Photography Ltd
UHT drinks
UHT dairy, squash and long life milks and juices are worth keeping for emergencies.
What you should stockpile
A well-stocked freezer is also important, but it doesn’t need to be a huge space.
Focus on versatility and rotation in fruit, veg, fish and bread, and buy what you’ll use.
Caption: Close-up of peanut butter on toasted bread on light gray plate. Food background.
Photographer: Yuliia Zaitseva
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
Peanut butter, or a jarred treat like jam or Nutella, is also a good idea.
Nut butters are a great source of protein, fibre, has a long shelf life and can be used on savoury and sweet foods.
Want to slow down brain ageing? Try a hobby
The hobbies that slow brain ageing
Practise a musical instrument
A study of 108 amateur musicians in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found those with more musical experience had better attention control.
Caucasian mid adult patient writing a diary while recovering in the hospital ward – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Caption: IVANO-FRANKIVSK, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 13, 2022 – Musicians of the NAONI Orchestra (National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine) hold a concert at the Ivan Franko Academic Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre in Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Yurii Rylchuk / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Photographer: Future Publishing
Provider: Future Publishing via Getty Imag
Source: Future Publishing
Journal in the evening before bed
Reflecting on your day supports your memory as you’re rehearsing the things you’ve done, especially if you do it with pen and paper, says Prof Catherine Loveday, author of The Secret World of the Brain.
The hobbies that slow brain ageing
The flowering gardens at Cawdor Castle (Photo: Dennis Barnes/Getty/Stockbyte Unreleased)
Garden for 20 minutes
Connecting with nature replenishes cognitive resources and boosts vitamin D levels, says Loveday.
Join a knitting group
Knitting improves coordination and working memory – your brain’s ability to store and use information according to the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
Senior female friends spending leisure time knitting while sitting at table in retirement home – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
As society sees the largest ever intergenerational shift of assets, younger clients will need people they can relate to, instead of relying on AI and social media for financial advice (Photo: Getty)
Learn a language
Learning a second language helps improve our ability to retrieve words.
The hobbies that slow
brain ageing
Games, like Minecraft, helps improve spatial representation, speed and reaction times.
Reading fiction twice a week stimulates the language parts
of the brain, says Loveday.
One study also found that chess players had better cognitive reflection and greater focus.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Why crossing your legs could be bad your health…
It’s one of those every day moves that we rarely think twice about – especially when sitting for longer periods – but it could be inadvertently contributing to your back pain, high blood pressure or even issues like infertility.
Why you shouldn’t cross your legs
The fact it’s comfortable doesn’t mean it’s good for us
62%
of people prefer to cross their right over their left leg.
While 26 per cent cross their left over the right and 12 per cent have no preference.
S shape
The natural shape of the spine when stood up is an S-shaped curve.
But when we sit in a chair with our feet flat on the ground our pelvis is rocked backwards creating a C shape.
In some people, blood pressure stays high despite medication, and hormones may be the reason (Photo: Tatiana Maksimova/Getty Images/Moment RF)
How does it impact blood pressure?
We’re restricting venous return of blood from peripheral tissues like the foot going back to the heart.
Says Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre, at Lancaster University.
Although your blood pressure should drop once you move from the position, it can have longer term impacts if you have pre-existing conditions like diabetes.
How it can impact the nervous system
In extreme it can
lead to a phenomenon
called foot drop.
Senior woman on sofa feeling and suffering from back pain. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Over the short term crossing can give you pins and needles. If you leave it there for half an hour, an hour, or longer, you can actually interfere with the muscular function of the muscles, says Taylor.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
How it impacts posture
(Photo: Justin Paget/ Getty).
Sam Bhide, advanced physiotherapy practitioner, believes the main impact of sitting cross-legged is gluteal tendonitis, resulting in moderate to severe hip pain.
One study found that sitting cross-legged leads to a bent and asymmetrical posture and other research shows it increasing the misalignment of the hips.
How it impacts fertility
We know that crossing your legs warms up the groin area by somewhere in the remit of three degrees. If you are a man who sits with your legs crossed for a prolonged period of time, that is not good for sperm production.
ADAM TAYLOR, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF THE CLINICAL ANATOMY LEARNING CENTRE
(Photo: Andrew Matthews/PA).
How to fix it
Caption: Incorrect seated posture.
Photographer: Science Photo Library
Provider: Getty Images/Science Photo Libra
Source: Science Photo Library RF
Get out of the habit
If crossing our legs is the cause, then the obvious solution is to do it less.
Microbreaks
Take time off from sitting, and put your musculoskeletal system through a normal range of motion.
There are many ways to improve your finances this Easter (Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images/fStop)
(Photo: Justin Paget/Getty).
Focus on symmetry
If you’re a right over left leg crosser, try crossing the other way, so those forces are at least going through the body equally.
The foods the experts always have in the cupboard
Foods to keep in the cupboard
Caption: John West tuna chunks in brine, ??1.50/125g
Copyright: John West
Tinned fish
These are a great way to get Omega-3 fats and fish with soft bones are a great source of calcium, says dietician Emma Shafqat.
Ready whole grains
Dietitian Lucy Upton recommends brown rice, quinoa and barley which are low in salt.
Rice cooked – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Photographer: HakanEliacik / 500px
Provider: Getty Images/500px Prime
Source: 500px Prime
Copyright: Hakan Eliacik – 05062142485
Olive oil
Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil has polyphenols and antioxidants, says Dr Frankie Phillips.
Foods to keep in the cupboard
Nuts and seeds
They boast unsaturated fats, fibre, plant protein, vitamins and minerals. Raw or dry roasted should have no additives, like salt. Dr Shafqat recommends brands like Meridian, Pip & Nut and Whole Earth.
Dried fruit
(Photo: Wirestock/Getty/iStockphoto/Juergen Wiesler)
Dried fruit
If you’re mindful of the addd sugar, they can be great for fibre as part of a meal. Dr Phillips recommends dried apricots as they’re verstaile and add iron to the diet.
Dark chocolate
It surprises many people that dark chocolate contains fibre.
It counts as a health food thanks to its high polyphenol count.
To really optimise the health benefits, choose chocolate that is 70 per cent cocoa as it has fewer ingredients and a higher polyphenol content.
Lindt 70 to 85 per cent, Green & Black’s, Divine Fairtrade, Aldi’s Moser Roth (70 per cent) and Lidl’s own brand (85 per cent) are great, accessible options.
Foods to keep in the cupboard
Oats
Plain oats are a cheap, accessible and nutritious food that provide beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre which helps to manage cholesterol levels.
Packing out your curry with pulses (Photo: Michelle Garrett/Getty)
Caption: Close up of a woman preparing a wholesome breakfast by pouring oats into a bowl from a plastic free jar with fresh berries.
Photographer: Dougal Waters
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
Copyright: Dougal Waters Photography Ltd
Pulses
Dr Phillips keeps canned cannellini beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and red lentils in the cupboard, and adds them to soups, stews and savoury mince dishes.
The UK’s mild climate may be destroyed
While much of the world is set to grow hotter as a result of the climate crisis, the UK could soon face a different fate.
Climate scientists fear a ‘cold blob’ in the Atlantic Ocean may bring Arctic conditions instead of a tropical future.
Bill McGuire, a professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London (UCL), is one of them.
Here he shares why cold temperatures could be our reality in a few decades.
Why this could happen
At the moment, global heating is making the UK hotter. This warmth is thanks to the presence of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a system of currents over the Atlantic.
Without these currents, our climate would be more akin to the much colder weather in north-eastern Canada.
And the AMOC might be set to U-turn.
One study suggests that the AMOC has weakened by 15 per cent since the mid-20th century.
There is not much we can do to stop
this decline. Emissions would need to
be cut in half within five years to have
any chance of dodging a permanent global temperature change.
How to prepare for a change
“All countries need to ensure that infrastructure, food security, services
and public engagement are robust,”
says Professor McGuire.
Caption: Snow falls over in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham. Storm Chandra brought travel disruption and flooding as strong winds and heavy rain hit much of the UK. Picture date: Tuesday January 27, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Photographer: Owen Humphreys
Provider: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Source: PA
Copyright: PA Wire
A train arrives into the station in the town of Glossop in the snowy weather last week. New rail projects planned for the North of England are ‘really exciting,’ the Transport Secretary has said (Photo: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)
One paper estimated that only seven per cent of UK land would be suitable for
arable farming in the new climate,
compared with the current 32 per cent. “Managing this looks like rationing and restricted civil liberties,” he claims.
The global impact
Smoke billows from a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil (Photo: Bruno Kelly/Reuters)
It could cause the weakening of the African and Asian monsoons, resulting in famine.
Increased warming of the southern hemisphere could further dry out the Amazon.
Increase melting across Antarctica would accelerate sea level rise.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
What we need to do
This is entirely the result of global heating caused by human activities. It is critical that monitoring of the AMOC is maintained, even increased. European governments really need to be planning for a future that could well be
much colder.
AUTHOR OF THE FATE OF THE WORLD: HOW OUR FUTURE IS WRITTEN IN THE PAST
Snow covering Arlington Row in the Cotswolds village of Bibury. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Our shared ownership home is a disaster
Paul Afshar is struggling to sell his shared ownership flat in Hackney Wick (Photo: Charlie Forgham-Bailey)
Paul Afshar felt a sense of pride when
he purchased 25 per cent of a new home in East London – as a way to get on the property ladder without huge financial backing.
But years on, Afshar has discovered the drawbacks of the scheme, including the rising costs and difficulty moving on.
The background
A 25 per cent of a one-bedroom flat in London.
In 2007 Afshar put a five per cent deposit (£2,500) on his share of the flat and entered a 35-year mortgage on a standard variable rate.
Although he only owns a quarter of his flat in Hackney but is eligible for 100 per cent of the maintenance costs.
Between 2007 and 2024 his mortgage rose 48 per cent from £268.65 to £400.28. He also pays £865.48 on rent (shared ownership requires paying rent to the organisation who owns the rest) and a service charge.
Fixing unsafe cladding on his block of will also cost in excess
of £50,000, as it isn’t eligible for government funding.
The impact on residents
It has definitely triggered a deep sense of anxiety in me that affected my mental health. It’s this constant heavy, nervous feeling in my stomach.
AFSHAR, 41
Caption: Paul Afshar, campaigner for End Our Cladding Scandal (EOCS). who???s flat in Hackney Wick has been affected by unsafe cladding which means that he is unable to sell the property.
Photographed leaving his flat.
Photographer: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Provider: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Source: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Shared ownership in the UK
Caption: BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 19: A general view of some of the student accommodation blocks within the Paragon Residential development which have been placed on a mandatory evacuation order, on October 19, 2020 in Brentford, England. Paragon is a development of six apartment blocks owned by one of London’s largest housing associations, Notting Hill Genesis. A recent investigation into the exterior cladding coupled with structural and fire safety issues has led to the association asking residents of the 1059 flats to evacuate while further investigations are made. The estate was developed by Berkeley First, part of The Berkeley Group plc. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Myra Butterworth
Photographer: Leon Neal
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: GETTY IMAGES
In 2024, 200,000 households were shared ownership properties.
In 2021-22 there were 19,386 new shared ownership properties.
Fewer than 2,000 shared ownership households managed to staircase from part to full ownership in 2022.
Big Read
9 min read
Selling up
Afshar couldn’t sell his flat but didn’t feel safe to live in it – because of the cladding. So he lived with his partner for three years, still paying the mortgage and charges.
Caption: Paul Afshar, campaigner for End Our Cladding Scandal (EOCS). who???s flat in Hackney Wick has been affected by unsafe cladding which means that he is unable to sell the property.
General view of the unsafe timber cladding.
Photographer: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Provider: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Source: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Caption: Paul Afshar, campaigner for End Our Cladding Scandal (EOCS). who???s flat in Hackney Wick has been affected by unsafe cladding which means that he is unable to sell the property.
Photographed inside his flat.
Photographer: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Provider: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Source: Charlie Forgham-Bailey
Property expert Crystal Olenbush says selling is the biggest issue. “You’ve got to figure out how to divvy any equity, then you need to find someone to take over the side of the seller’s portion of the mortgage. There’s a whole legal process to transfer that shared ownership stake. If anyone tries to skip steps, it creates huge problems.”
Paul Afshar is struggling to sell his shared ownership flat in Hackney Wick
(Photo: Charlie Forgham-Bailey)
The takeaway
I got into something I didn’t fully understand. I was sold a dream of homeownership and it’s come back to bite me years later. It’s heartbreaking.
Looking back Afshar wishes he’d have looked into the service charge, mortgage rate and selling protocols sooner.
Thinking of getting
a divorce?
It’s not always the solution, says psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry, who has been married for 32 years.
Here are the five things she recommends asking yourself before dishing
out the divorce papers.
The questions you should ask
Is it a you problem?
Couple, talk and arguing with fight at house for disagreement, conflict and divorce discussion. Woman, explain and bored man for conversation, toxic relationship and drama and marriage fail in lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
It’s not a good idea to get divorced when you’re just depressed and stressed. You’re naturally irritated by everything and everybody. It’s too easy to take that out on your partner and think they’re the problem.
OPINION
2 min read
(Photo: Kawee Srital-on/Getty).
Are you telling
yourself a story?
We cherry-pick the evidence against our partner until we’re so set on them being the enemy…
It feels almost like tying up loose ends. But it won’t really solve the problem. It just makes it much worse. It’s okay to be wrong. Good relationships are full of ruptures and repairs.
The questions you should ask
It is a mixmatch of
conflict styles?
When we’re under stress, we have our preferred way of coping.
You want a partner who’s on the same page as you, so that you have moments of connection.
Some people think a lot, other people want to go straight to action.
If you’re a thinker, and you’re married to a do-er, it’s important to remind them that they don’t have to fix every problem. If you are a doer, you have to say something like, explain your process and thoughts a little more.
Do you believe the
grass is greener?
If this is you, do some serious therapy on yourself. What gets in the way of a good relationship is thinking that the grass is greener and therefore having a lack of commitment. This is why we have marriage because you make a commitment.
PHILIPPA PERRY, AUTHOR OF BEST-SELLING BOOKS ON PARENTING AND RELATIONSHIPS
Do you have moments
of inclusion?
Son’t assume your partner knows how you think (Photo: ljubaphoto/Getty/E+)
Moments of inclusion are the ones when you both feel like you’ve both clicked, and really get on.
If these moments are missing, we need to leave more space for them.
Also treat love as an action, not a feeling. Ask yourself, what can I do for my partner today?
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
But while Burnham is talked of as if he will simply stroll into Downing Street should he win in Makerfield, where Reform UK is putting up a strong fight, some MPs believe the shine might be starting to come off the Greater Manchester Mayor.
Burnham’s policy platform is ‘anyone’s guess’
Thursday’s extraordinary row over the defence investment plan helped Burnham in that it drowned out another policy U-turn or backpedal – this time over compensation for so-called Waspi women who claim they lost out on pension payments when the claim age was raised.
He said the women deserve recompense, which would cost £10.5bn, but quickly backtracked following a backlash from Labour MPs, some of whom were already beginning to have doubts about Burnham, citing ideological splits among his supporters and the lack of a cohesive policy platform.
Burnham remains the favourite for the leadership, if a contest is triggered, but rivals, including former health secretary Wes Streeting, are increasingly hopeful that they can win the battle of ideas and turn a Labour leadership contest on its head during any campaign.
One MP who was involved in a previous Burnham leadership campaign said they had reservations about his candidacy, claiming he lacked creativity and policy ideas and had inherited many of his successes, like the publicly run Bee Network of buses he has set up as Greater Manchester mayor.
“He hasn’t innovated those ideas himself,” the MP said.
A Labour MP said Burnham’s policy platform was “anyone’s guess”.
“He’s clear about the need for a National Care Service but I don’t think he has thought through the rest,” they said.
This is causing jitters among some that Burnham could replicate the worst parts of Starmer’s leadership because he does not have a plan for power.
Split vote in Makerfield won’t help Burnham
A Labour source said they were worried that “history is repeating itself” when it comes to Burnham’s preparations for Government.
“I hope they will start getting a platform together soon”, they said.
They argued that the current administration had struggled because “they didn’t have a vision before they started”.
The source also said that Burnham would need to think up a fresh vision, as “Manchesterism” was unlikely to translate across the country.
“You can’t say to people in Newcastle they should be more like Manchester. That won’t work. It’s a very Westminster-centric view that Manchester is the second-best city in the country.”
The feeling of inevitability around Burnham is partly being driven by the idea that if he can win Makerfield, in the Wigan area where Reform UK swept the board in May’s local elections, he will undoubtedly prove he is the man to take on Nigel Farage for Labour at the next general election.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on Wednesday at a press conference for the Reform candidate Robert Kenyon ahead of the Makerfield by-election (Photo: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty)
However, with signs the right-wing vote in Makerfield is splitting between Farage’s Reform and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain, even this narrative is now being questioned.
One minister said the situation in Makerfield was “very tight”. “It’s tough up there. The most surprising thing is how many people are saying they are voting for Restore. I don’t know where the support is coming from but we knocked on a lot of doors and they said they were going for Restore.”
It is, of course, in the interests of Labour to talk up the prospects of Reform’s right-wing rival in order to split the anti-Labour vote.
Burnham, some feel, will have to win by a margin greater than Reform and Restore’s vote combined to demonstrate he can see off the right.
The minister added: “The trouble for Andy then is, he has to make sure his margin of victory is bigger than the Restore vote, otherwise it raises questions over whether it was down to him or a split vote.”
Burnham ‘relying on ‘vibes’
Starmer loyalists are also attempting to ramp up pressure on Burnham, suggesting he is relying on “vibes”, with a senior party insider saying: “We all wish there was a superhero waiting in the wings somewhere ready to save the party and save us the job of having to think and do the hard work, but that is never going to happen and it’s not Andy.”
A Government source raised doubts as to whether Burnham’s succession was a foregone conclusion, citing his recent U-turns, which also include rowing back on rejoining the EU and a pledge to serve out a full third term as Manchester Mayor.
They also cited a recent failure to answer when asked about the details of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spending rules, which he has promised to meet.
“It’s definitely not a given [that he wins],” the insider said. “This is why we can’t have a coronation. There has to be a leadership contest so people can hold him and his ideas to account. His refusal to say what the fiscal rules were was just embarrassing.”
There is also anger at Burnham’s disloyalty from those who remain loyal to Starmer.
A Labour MP said they were deeply worried about what a leadership challenge would unleash.
“We’ve opened a Pandora’s Box without doing the thinking about where we’re going,” they lamented.
The MP predicted that the “cult of personality” which had built up around Burnham as “King of the North” would soon collapse under the weight of the pressure and scrutiny of being in No 10.
A “desire to please everyone all the time” meant Burnham constantly pandered to his audiences with rash words, which he later had to “row back”, they claimed.
The MP, who represents a seat in the North West, also worried that a win for Burnham would trigger a by-election for the Greater Manchester Mayoralty, which would result in Labour handing over “the fastest growing part of the UK” to Reform.
Burnham accused of keepng policy positions open
A senior Labour source said there appeared to be a “tug of war” over Burnham and what direction he could take as Prime Minister.
“The question is which Andy are we going to get: 2010 Andy Burnham, 2015 Andy, or Manchester mayor Andy Burnham?”
They pointed out that Burnham was leaving his policy positions open, for example, saying he is committed to “public control” of utilities like water and energy.
John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary has further undermined Starmer (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty)
“If you’re Clive Lewis, when you hear Andy say public control, and you hear nationalisation,” the source said. “If you’re a centrist who supports Andy, you hear franchising. Someone’s going to be let down.
There are already signs this Burnham’s attempt to appeal across the political spectrum is eating into his support, according to the source, who said left-wingers in the Socialist Campaign Group of backbenchers are “pretty unhappy” at reports that he will back Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s changes to the immigration system.
“Andy doesn’t want a contest for that reason,” the source said.
“He’ll want Keir to set out a timetable [to leave No 10] and a coronation.”
‘Wes has f***ked it completely’
Allies of Streeting now believe that while he is “starting as an underdog”, he has had a month without fighting a by-election or holding a Cabinet role in which he has been able to begin setting out his arguments and policy platform, which is also developing behind the scenes, and he is now “ready” for a contest.
One Streeting ally said: “People try to turn politics into a prediction game and one poll can decide how people see things but the truth is politics is a battle of ideas, it’s an argument, it’s about persuasion.
“Wes bucked the trend to win his own seat in Ilford; he won his selection against the odds, he held his council in May, and he is confident he can change people’s minds and win them over again.”
Starmer supporters also believe Burnham will try and engineer a coronation, with one MP claiming Cabinet ministers could resign next Friday once the Makerfield results are known to try and force the Prime Minister out, starting with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
“I expect Cabinet members will resign on the 19th and try to bump the PM,” the MP said.
A source close to Nandy denied she was preparing to resign next week, saying there was “no truth” in the claim. Miliband’s team were contacted for comment.
But while Starmer and Streeting have vowed to fight Burnham in a contest, another MP said a Burnham coronation was “inevitable now”.
“I think if he wins on 18 June, there is a coronation.”
There are also major doubts as to whether Streeting has missed his moment, having quit the Cabinet but not triggered a leadership contest last month.
The MP said: “My impression right now of Wes is that he’s f**ked it up completely. Like completely… It’s just a bit tragic now. It’s just ambition, it’s like a classic Macbeth, my ambition that o’erleaps itself… He’s overplayed his hand and he’s done that because he’s wanted since he was born or whatever to be prime minister, and he thought that now was his chance and he grabbed at it, and it’s just been a disaster…”
“He has killed himself politically,” said one former Cabinet colleague. “I don’t think there is any way back for him. He just played it completely wrong.”
Starmer ‘bluffing’ about fighting on
The senior Labour source who highlighted the “tug of war” over Burnham also believes Starmer is “bluffing” about fighting a leadership contest.
While Burnham’s supporters acknowledge “anything is possible” and that he may yet fail to win the Labour crown in a “febrile situation”, he is unlikely to fall short if he wins Makerfield.
A Labour insider said: “If Andy wins what has essentially become a safe Reform seat, in a world where every Labour MP is panicked about how we beat Reform, and most have lost confidence, then the most likely outcome is the outcome people think is coming down the track. But nothing is guaranteed.”
The insider acknowledged that Burnham has “work to do” on his policy platform, but added: “What he gives Labour people is a sense that change is actually possible after all.”
Burnham’s team have been contacted for comment.