Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which selects the party’s candidates in parliamentary seat elections, said Friday it had permitted Burnham “to stand in the candidate selection process” in the by-election in Makerfield, northwest England.
That contest is expected in mid-June at the earliest, meaning any formal leadership challenge is likely to be triggered afterwards.
The political jockeying follows dismal results for Labour in local and regional elections held last week, which have prompted several junior ministers and dozens of the party’s MPs to demand Starmer to step down.
But the beleaguered 63-year UK leader appears to have been granted a stay of execution, of sorts, while Burnham’s fate is decided in the Makerfield by-election.
Burnham told British media Saturday he was prepared to “fight to the highest level”.
Meanwhile it appears Streeting, who delivered a wide-ranging speech at the think tank event, has kicked off a leadership campaign in all but name.
Setting out a fledgling policy platform, he said Brexit was “a catastrophic mistake” and that Britain must pursue a “new special relationship” with the European Union.
He signalled he wanted to see the country rejoin the trade bloc in the future.