Never miss a moment Stay ahead with live news updates in our award-winning app One year for £29. |  | Tony Diver Associate Political Editor | “He needs to stop playing footsie with the Labour Party”.
That’s how one MP described the situation to me this week, when I asked about the near-constant speculation that Andy Burnham is going to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.
We are one step closer to having an answer today, after the Manchester mayor told The Telegraph that Labour MPs are privately urging him to stand against the Prime Minister.
When I asked him whether he could rule out a leadership challenge before the May local elections, Mr Burnham declined to answer, saying that he thinks the decision should be left to others in the parliamentary party.
It has certainly been a torrid few weeks for the Government, with scandals over Angela Rayner and Lord Mandelson’s conduct resulting in both of their resignations.
With Labour’s party conference fast approaching, the speculation about Mr Burnham as a “king over the water” is growing – and he is doing nothing to dampen it.
He has even come up with his own policy manifesto, which includes a national revaluation of council tax to increase rates on properties in London and the South East, and a £40bn plan to invest in council housing.
“It’s not about the personalities, it’s about the plan,” Mr Burnham told me. “That’s the message I’ll be taking to conference.”
But that view is not widely shared in Downing Street, where Sir Keir’s team firmly believe Mr Burnham is on manoeuvres. One government aide said the “desperate” and “cheap” attempts to challenge the PM are wearing thin.
The path to No 10 for Mr Burnham isn’t clear, and there are many doubters in the party who feel now isn’t the right time for him to challenge an election-winning Prime Minister. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the Manchester mayor’s bid for power is real – and that he feels the Labour administration is fatally flawed. This conference season should produce fireworks.
Read the interview in full here ➤
How Burnham triggered fury in Downing Street ➤
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Below are two more helpful articles for you this morning: | A requiem for Wedgwood Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
The Potteries – these days also known as Stoke-on-Trent – were one of the great success stories of 18th- and 19th-century England. It was here that such enterprising characters as Josiah Wedgwood, Josiah Spode and even a few who weren’t called Josiah produced crockery for the nation.
That success endured. My grandparents, keen practitioners of the 1970s’ dinner party, had a cupboardful of Midlands ceramics. And if someone had painted a still life of their breakfast table, it would have included a Spode plate (bearing marmalade on toast) and, of course, a copy of The Daily Telegraph.
Today, it’s a very different story. Wedgwood, facing a slump in demand, has paused production at its Staffordshire factory, and once prized tableware is being turned away by antique shops.
Walter Bridge, a proud resident of Stoke-on-Trent, is doing what he can to resist this trend. “I still bring out my best Wedgwood dinner set for family occasions,” he wrote. “However, the writing was on the wall as long ago as the 1990s. On my first visit to a pottery in China, I noticed that the backstamp was Wedgwood, meaning that it was already outsourcing to Asia, as did other British and European ceramic manufacturers.”
Jane Moth proposed a campaign: “As a fellow native of Stoke-on-Trent and devotee of the pottery made there, I urge all Telegraph readers to consider buying as a Christmas present at least one item made in the Potteries. To borrow from Keats, it will be a thing of beauty and a joy forever.”
Wendy Ward seconded that: “I use my Wedgwood every day. It gets washed in the dishwasher: I would rather it broke than sat collecting dust in a cupboard. Fortunately, it’s very strong – and a delight to use.”
Her last point was backed up by JJ Heath-Caldwell: “I have a Wedgwood dinner service that was used continuously in the family from 1784 until 2005. It was a personal gift from Josiah Wedgwood to my great-great-great-great grandfather on the occasion of his wedding. Lots of bits were broken over the years, but when my aunt died in 2005 there was still a substantial number of pieces left.” Well, can anyone beat that? Let me know here, or head to our Your Say page, exclusively on the Telegraph app. | Plan your day with the telegraph | Set your alarm to catch up with journalists on the Your Say page and listen to their analysis on our latest podcasts.
| | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
The solution to yesterday’s clue was BEGUILING. Come back tomorrow for the answer to today’s puzzle. | | Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
P.S. Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me here. | |
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