Burnham calls for 'wholesale change' as he fires warning shot at Starmer

LABOUR lynchpin Andy Burnham has criticised the way Sir Keir Starmer runs the party, and has warned it is facing an “existential” threat.

- By Jonathan Walker

The Greater Manchester Mayor — who has been tipped as a potential new leader - said “wholesale change” is needed if the party is to survive.

He fired warning shots at the Prime Minister as Labour prepares for its annual conference in Liverpool, starting on Sunday.

And while Mr Burnham expressed frustration with rumours that he plans to oust Sir Keir and launch his own leadership bid, he openly attacked the current direction of his party.

The former health secretary told Left-wing magazine New Statesman, the “challenge we've got in front of us cannot be met by a very factional and quite divisive running of the Labour Party”.

He added: “Where is our plan to turn the country around?