UK's Burnham weighs snap election if he becomes PM: Report

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is considering holding a snap general election if he becomes British prime minister, the Sun newspaper reported on Saturday, citing Labour insiders.

He is also ‌lining up ⁠British ⁠interior minister Shabana Mahmood to be his chancellor, the newspaper reported, adding that talks between Shabana's team and Burnham had been going on for a while.

Former British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who said earlier this month that she has been cleared of ⁠deliberate wrongdoing over ‌her tax affairs, is expected to be brought back into the Cabinet if ⁠Burnham succeeds in his leadership bid, the report said.


Reuters could not immediately verify the ​report.

Burnham, Rayner and Mahmood did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Burnham, seen as a challenger to embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer, would need to win the Makerfield seat near ‌Manchester before launching any formal leadership challenge.

An election for a seat in Britain's parliament will take place on June ⁠18, the local council in northern England said in a notice earlier this month. Starmer's Labour Party performed poorly in May local elections, triggering calls from a significant bloc of his lawmakers for him to quit.

Many of those are looking to Burnham to revive the party's fortunes.