Q+A: Burnham Says He'd Save Labour, But Can He Win Makerfield?
Newscast
BBC
4.3 • 6.6K Ratings
🗓️ 16 May 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today we look at two Labour leadership hopefuls setting out their visions for the UK ahead of a Labour leadership contest that hasn’t even begun.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC he’d 'save' Labour, and Wes Streeting has confirmed that he would run in the event of a formal challenge to Keir Starmer.
Before Burnham can run for leader, and therefore PM, he’s got to win the Makerfield by-election first. Laura and Paddy answer Newscasters’ questions on the subject and look at a potential cautionary tale from a by-election in 1965.
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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn and Kris Jalowiecki. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Well, we've come back. |
| 0:07.3 | We have come back because we recorded our normal Saturday conversation at 2 o'clock |
| 0:11.3 | and it's now 4.13. |
| 0:15.5 | And since we've recorded, a couple of things have happened that we want to bring you |
| 0:18.4 | before we'll play you our longer conversation. |
| 0:26.7 | Yeah, because newscasters will want this news. Two big figures in the Labour Party psychodrama have spoken within about an hour of each other. They have. So Andy Burnham was on the |
| 0:31.8 | stump in Makerfield near Wiggin, where he's running in the by-election, not just to become the MP |
| 0:37.4 | there, but he hopes to become the by-election, not just to become the MP there, but he hopes |
| 0:38.7 | to become the Prime Minister. |
| 0:40.6 | And he's spoken to the BBC for the first time since he decided to run. |
| 0:45.3 | And he said some rather interesting things. |
| 0:47.5 | And we'll play you some of them, but most notably, I think he says, we've got to see this |
| 0:53.0 | as a moment to reclaim the Labour Party to save it from where it's been. |
| 0:58.8 | Now, that's not just saying I want to be the guy because Kirsteimer has not done a very good job. |
| 1:03.0 | He's saying the party needs saving. |
| 1:04.9 | You know, I think we've got to just see this as a sort of a kind of moment to reclaim the Labour Party, to save it from where it's been. |
| 1:13.4 | You know, we can't just carry on, carry on as we are. |
| 1:16.9 | We're going to change the conversation in this campaign. |
| 1:19.4 | We're going to get closer, Labour closer, to these communities again. |
| 1:24.2 | And I'm kind of excited about what all of that means. |
| 1:27.3 | And this saving thing, because one of the |
| 1:29.8 | Corbinistas said the Labour Party was founded under Akir, Hardy, and could end, die under Akir, |
... |
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