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UK's Burnham not planning early election if he becomes prime minister

By Reuters Reuters
Greater Manchester Mayor and Labour candidate Andy Burnham meets residents impacted by flooding in the Makerfield constituency, where he is a candidate in the by-election, at the Platt Bridge Community Centre in Wigan, Britain, June 2, 2026 REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
Greater Manchester Mayor and Labour candidate Andy Burnham meets residents impacted by flooding in the Makerfield constituency, where he is a candidate in the by-election, at the Platt Bridge Community Centre in Wigan, Britain, June 2, 2026 REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja Temilade Adelaja Reuters

LONDON - British Labour Party politician Andy Burnham will not call an early national election should he replace Keir Starmer to become prime minister, his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Burnham is running for a vacant seat in parliament and, if successful, would then be able to launch a leadership challenge to Starmer, whose authority has been badly damaged after poor local election results and other missteps since taking power.

His spokesperson said Burnham had no plans to call an immediate election if he did become prime minister. Britain is next due to hold a national parliamentary election in 2029.

On Saturday, the Sun newspaper had reported that Burnham might call an early election should he ultimately replace Starmer as leader.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, writing by William James; editing by Michael Holden)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 5:34 AM.

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