Andy Burnham suffers huge setback as angry voters demand a general election

Pressure is building on Andy Burnham to call an early general election if, as expected, he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister on July 20. New polling lays bare Britons’ unhappiness at the prospect of the former Mayor of Greater Manchester moving into Number 10 without first being tested in a Labour leadership contest. Research by retired Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft found voters believe there should be a proper leadership battle, and then an early general election.

Nominations for the Labour leadership formally open on Thursday and close on July 15, but Mr Burnham is widely expected to enter Number 10 without facing a challenger. The prospect of Mr Burnham – who only became an MP in last month’s Makerfield by-election – taking power without setting out his plans in a formal contest has left ordinary voters unimpressed. Only 27% of Britons support Mr Burnham becoming PM this way, with 50% wanting one or more other candidates to stand, and 23% uncertain.

People who voted Labour at the last general election are most likely to support a so-called coronation (45%) while only 11% of Reform UK voters back this.

Nearly six out of 10 Britons (59%) want a general election at least within the “next year or so”. This includes 70% of Reform voters and 62% of those who supported the Conservatives in 2024 who want an election “as soon as practically possible” because the “PM should have the consent of voters”.

A Reform spokesperson said: “”Polling clearly shows the British public wants a general election – and so do we. Reform UK is ready for an election, and are ready to deliver radical change. Britain is broken, and only Reform will fix it.”

However, Conservative peer and election expert Robert Hayward doubted that Mr Burnham will send the country to the polls early because so many Labour MPs would fear losing their seats.

He said: “The pressure from within the parliamentary Labour party will be very much in the opposite direction.”

Lord Hayward does not think Mr Burnham will face a challenger, even though he considers coronations a “bad idea” both for parties and for the country because candidates are left untested.

Lord Ashcroft’s polling shows much of the country is braced for a lurch to the Left, with 41% thinking the Makerfield MP is more Left-wing than Sir Keir, and just 3% thinking he is more Right-wing.

There is only modest optimism about a Burnham premiership. Just 22% think he will do a better job than Sir Keir while 13% expect him to be worse.

The polling also highlights the clout of Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain. While 38% of Britons said they “don’t like what they stand for” and “definitely won’t vote for them”, 11% said they “like a lot of what they stand for” and “might well vote for them next time”.

Mr Burnham will hope his arrival as party leader and PM gives Labour a much-needed bounce. When voters were asked who would make the best prime minister, 38% opted for Mr Burnham, 20% for the Conservatives’ Kemi Badenoch and 17% for Reform’s Nigel Farage.

This comes as the latest YouGov polling puts Reform UK in first place on 25%(+1), ahead of the Conservatives on 21% (+1), Labour on 20%, the Greens on 13% (no change), the Liberal Democrats 12% (-1) and Restore Britain on 3% (no change).