‘Andy Burnham for thee, but not for me’ — so suggests one of the Manchester Mayor’s top Labour cheerleaders today. Paula Barker, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, took to BBC Breakfast to make the case for her king in the North amid growing Westminster speculation about a left-wing leadership challenge.
The backbencher explained that ‘the country has stopped listening to Keir, and that is the problem’. Hard to argue with that. Lavishing praise on Burnham, she declared that he is ‘an excellent communicator and would have the progressive policies that we need to see to turn our country around’.
Barker then moved on to laying out the red-carpet path for the mayor’s return to Westminster. She repeated the Team Manchester mantra that time should be allowed for some selfless soul to put country before career and relinquish their seat so Burnham can make his move. Fair enough. But when Barker was asked by the Beeb whether she herself would take on such a noble task, it is fair to say she was not quite ready for that moral mission.
Put to her by the BBC that Burnham ‘needs a safe seat’ and asked, ‘Would you give it up for him?’, Barker simply replied: ‘No.’
Sigh.
Should any of her colleagues feel more inclined, Mr S is all ears.
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