Now... or never? Labour's soft left grapples with timing over challenge to prime minister

A spectre is haunting the most ambitious politicians in Labour -the question of timing. If you hope one day to become prime minister, you could blink and miss your moment.

- 

Andy Burnham clearly believed he did not have much time. Now he might have longer than he thought.

Labour's powerful soft left caucus has no candidate who is ready to challenge Starmer. Until they do, it seems unlikely they would be part of facilitating a leadership challenge en masse.

It is why the survival of Keir Starmer as prime minister for longer than many predict is underpriced as an option in Westminster. None of his rivals knows whether there is an advantage in being first mover. Go too soon and you end up yesterday's story, quickly consigned to the backbenches.

Move too slowly and your rivals have sewn up all the support.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, looks like he benefits most from the NEC's decision to keep Burnham from returning to parliament. He is the only potential candidate who would be ready to move in May, especially if Labour also lose the Gorton and Denton byelection.