Linda Wheildon

Where is the @UKLabour Party branding?

The Times’s weekend read as Andy Burnham launches his bid for Makerfield and No 10: * Some Burnham allies think he could be in Downing Street by August, @breeallegretti reveals - 10 weeks to No 10. They want an expedited six week leadership contest after the by-election, provided Burnham wins * The argument is that there is no time to waste. He needs to be in No 10 by the time MPs come back in September so he is in place for conference and his first Budget * Some in Cabinet think a coronation would be a disaster. ‘He’s not the messiah, he changes his mind on everything,’ said one. ‘Andy just has no mandate for the things he’s trying to do. I he gets in the pressure on him to call an election is going to be enormous’ * They point to the fact he is trying to run a by-election campaign and prepare for a bid for No 10 with a tiny team around him. They say it just isn’t feasible given that Reform is throwing everything at Makerfield * Starmer’s allies say those pushing for him to go have underestimated his resilience. They say that last week his rivals - Wes Streeting, Ed Miliband - tried to ‘bully’ him out of office and failed. They see a world when he’s still in No 10 next year * There are also splits within Burnham’s own team, with some allies believing that Starmer needs to stay in place for the rest of the summer so he can bear the brunt of the cost of living crisis caused by the Iran war. “It’s going to be a really tricky summer,” they said. “He needs to take the time to get his team together.” * One close ally said that it is as if Starmer had been “emancipated”. “He’s stopped thinking about what people think of him and is just getting on with the job,” they said. How Andy Burnham is preparing for No 10 — with Starmer refusing to budge thetimes.com/article/66ab96…

I will not throw Starmer under Andy's bus. #IstandWithStarmer

Great to see #TeamSalfordLabour @SalfordLabour supporting Andy Burnham’s campaign in the Makerfield By-Election! Thanks for everything everyone is doing!👏🏻 Let’s support Andy, engage & listen to what matters to residents & families & hopefully get him elected. #AndyForUs ✊🏻❤️👍🏻

Great to be out on the campaign trail today in #Makerfield with my Friend & MP @RLong_Bailey. It was good to talk to residents & families about the issues & concerns that matter to them & to talk about what Andy’s been doing in Greater Manchester as our Mayor. #AndyForUs 🌹✊🏻

Your daily reminder that Burnham left himself out of Westminster. He was in Westminster, didn't get what he craved, so left. Please stop this nonsense. #wato

Andy Burnham is misleading voters. Where is the @UKLabour branding on his campaign. It’s deeply dishonest. Labour record with Starmer in delivering in 20 months should be the message. Burnham is acting like an independent. It’s wrong @LBC

@BhattiLaib9960 @BudGothmog44 He’s definitely Stanley

Why are you harming the party I voted for? I voted for stability and security for 5 years with @Keir_Starmer ! You are jeopardising that! For what? You are pushing up interest rates and making ppl poorer. You are a reckless fool.

Is Burnham trying to pretend he isn't Labour? That he's just a one man band? He seems very shy about having Labour branding, although he's very keen to take Labour Party members money from them. #NeverBurnham #StandWithStarmer

He did not speak for me. @BarryGardiner, we know all about your plot and cunning plan. We reject Andy Burnham completely. There is no leadership contest, and your behaviour is disgraceful and undemocratic. It has now been revealed that Andy Burnham allegedly bribed Josh Simons to relinquish his seat for Burnham’s own personal ambition and ego. This is corruption and deeply undemocratic behaviour. We do not support Andy Burnham. He is a rotten apple who would do anything for personal gain.