Labour’s new chair said MPs are frustrated with Andy Burnham’s leadership manoeuvres, ahead of the party’s annual conference this weekend.
A day after Keir Starmer criticized the Greater Manchester mayor's economic policies and likened him to Liz Truss, Anna Turley claimed Labour MPs questioned the mayor's "motivations" as she urged unity. Late on Friday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves also criticized his recommendations for fiscal policy.
After Mr. Burnham claimed that Labour MPs had privately persuaded him to run against Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership, the long-simmering infighting inside the Labour Party burst into the open.
The event in Liverpool is likely to be dominated by speculation about Mr. Starmer's future because his party is expected to have to hike taxes in November's budget and is trailing Nigel Farage's Reform UK in the polls.
She told the PA news agency:
"If the polls aren't looking great, people always get a little bit wobbly. Politics is littered with ambition. But the reality is we've got a very strong prime minister with a strong mandate and a strong vision that I think everyone's going to be really looking forward to hearing next week."
Asked about Mr Burnham's revelation that MPs had contacted him about running for the party leadership, Ms Turley said:
"There's an awful lot of MPs who are frustrated at that and actually dislike that and wonder what the motivations are for that.
Labour MPs want this government to be a success. They want to see the vision from the prime minister, and they want us to build on the progress we've made in the last year and to lead into a second term. That's what Labour MPs will want.
That's not what I hear, what Andy is saying. What I hear is people saying: 'Right, come on, let's get together, let's step up, let's set out our vision, let's move into this phase of delivery and making sure that we deliver on the vision that we've got for this country: more money in people's pockets, better public services, a country that's confident and secure.’”
The conference, she added, is the "perfect time" for the government to outline its plans for fulfilling the commitments it has made to the people.
Only a few weeks after Lord Mandelson was fired as ambassador to Washington and deputy leader Angela Rayner resigned due to tax issues, delegates headed to Liverpool as "phase two" of Sir Keir's renewed leadership got underway.
"I think (this is) a huge opportunity for the prime minister to really set out his vision now for the country,"
Ms Turley said.
"Obviously we've had quite a challenging couple of weeks. I don't think anyone would deny that.
And I think this has come at a perfect time for us to really speak to the country, instead of to ourselves, and to set out the vision that he's got here."
Redcar MP Ms Turley said the party had to appeal to communities which felt they had been "neglected" by Westminster.
"They feel that they haven't been invested in and that's what they're angry about. And of course we came in promising change, but it's very, very hard to deliver the kind of instant change that people want to see within a year,"
she said.
"We fixed the foundations in our first year and now we've got to make sure that we deliver so that people can see and feel that tangible change in their pockets and in their communities around them, and show them there are solutions and there is a way to get real, positive change for people."
How might Burnham's remarks shape conference speeches and agenda?
Burnham's public criticism of Keir Starmer's economic policies and leadership approach has established a tone of internal deliberation for the party. This will perhaps have an effect on speeches at conference, with some MPs potentially careful to address such issues or to call for the party to stay united, as leadership tensions surface.
Burnham has presented a daring alternative economic vision, calling to increase council tax on high-value properties, expose councils to the ability to borrow to build council housing, and have a more progressive tax system. This could lead to discussions at conferences around having an economic debate, and possible tension with economic policy.
Burnham's stated leadership ambitions, and comments that some MPs have encouraged him to run are an unintended undercurrent of leadership discussion.