Burnham defies Starmer over picket lines
Manchester mayor attacks Labour leader on strikes while backing moves to nationalise utility firms
‘People are fighting for their incomes in a cost-of-living crisis. You have got to recognise the point they’re making’
‘There is always factionalism in Labour but I’ve never seen such rulebreaking and voter fraud’
ANDY BURNHAM has criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s position on strikes as he declared that he would join union boss Mick Lynch on a picket line.
The Greater Manchester mayor, seen as a possible future Labour leader, said he sees nothing “controversial” about workers fighting for better wages.
His remarks will cause yet another headache for Sir Keir, who has banned payroll Labour MPS from appearing on picket lines, arguing that it was not the job of MPS to engage in industrial disputes but to attempt to resolve them at a political level.
In another swipe at Sir Keir, Mr Burnham appeared to back the nationalising of essential utility firms – a 2019 Labour election manifesto pledge which the party has since abandoned.
Asked on Sky News whether he would share a picket line with RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, he said: “I would. I don’t see this as controversial.
“People are fighting for their incomes in a cost-of-living crisis. Of course you’ve got to recognise the point that they are making.”
Mr Burnham also insisted there was “certainly a case for more public control, more public ownership of essential utilities”.
“When we sold off the water, sold off the electricity, sold off the gas, sold the council homes, sold off the buses, sold the trains, we found ourselves in a position where ordinary people can’t afford those basics anymore,” he added.
Mr Burnham also refused to rule out running for Labour leader, saying he would consider “one day” standing as prime minister.
The mayor joined Mr Lynch at a rally in Manchester last night run by the Leftwing campaign group Enough is Enough, which is calling for higher taxes on the rich, slashing energy bills and pay rises for workers.
He issued the criticism as a Labour MP sacked after joining a picket line took legal action against the party.
Sam Tarry, the boyfriend of Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, was sacked from his role as shadow transport minister last month after backing rail strikes and giving media interviews without permission. He now faces deselection by his constituency party.
The reselection process was triggered after all 10 branches in his area voted for a new contest, meaning members of the local constituency Labour Party can now vote to either keep him as their candidate for the next general election or choose someone else.
A source close to Mr Tarry said there was “considerable evidence of orchestrated corruption” in the process so far.
They claimed that attempts to oust Mr Tarry as MP for Ilford South have “100 per cent been politically motivated” by the Right of the party.
“There is always factionalism in Labour but I’ve not seen this level of rule-breaking and voter fraud, and an unwillingness of the party to do anything about it,” the source said.
“Sam has support from the parliamentary Labour Party and they are concerned that an MP who has spent the past two and a half years serving as a shadow minister is being attacked.”
Allies of Mr Tarry said they had collated numerous instances of alleged voting irregularities in the reselection process so far, they wrote to Labour’s general secretary about it but have not had any response.
Mr Tarry’s solicitors Carter-ruck have demanded that Labour provides a “detailed and comprehensive” response to his concerns, adding that there “should be no prospect of this process continuing until the matters raised by our client have been fully resolved”.
In June, Sir Keir banned payroll Labour MPS from picket lines. Several frontbenchers were reprimanded but Labour sources indicated that Mr Tarry had been sacked because he had given unauthorised media interviews and refused to abide by the shadow cabinet’s policy on the strikes.
The Labour Party has been contacted for comment.