By HARRIET LINE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 23:32 BST, 17 September 2025 | Updated: 23:50 BST, 17 September 2025
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has backed potential leadership challenger Andy Burnham to return to Westminster amid speculation he is considering a comeback.Ms Nandy said she 'loves' the Greater Manchester mayor and would support him 'whatever he decides to do'.She made the comments as she said she was supporting Burnham ally Lucy Powell in Labour's deputy leadership contest.Ms Nandy told LBC: 'I love Andy, and whatever he decides to do, I'll support him.'He's been a fantastic champion for the North, and whether he wants to do that as the mayor of Greater Manchester or as a Member of Parliament, I think he's got an enormous contribution to make.'It came as Ms Powell launched a brutal attack on Sir Keir Starmer's 'mistakes' and 'unforced errors', and hit out at 'sexist' claims she is a proxy for Mr Burnham.She is vying against Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, to replace former party deputy leader Angela Rayner, who was forced to quit after failing to pay enough stamp duty on a new seaside home.Ms Powell told the BBC's Political Thinking podcast: 'Some of the mistakes that we've made, or some of the unforced errors, have given a sense that we're not on the side of ordinary people.'Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has backed potential leadership challenger Andy Burnham to return to Westminster amid speculation he is considering a comeback Ms Nandy praised the Greater Manchester mayor (pictured) for championing the north and said she would support him whatever he decides to doShe was sacked in Sir Keir's reshuffle this month, and said it may have been due to the 'feedback' she had given the Cabinet from Labour MPs on issues including welfare reform. She said: 'I thought I was doing the job I was supposed to be doing, but maybe that wasn't feedback people wanted to hear.'Freed from Cabinet collective responsibility, the ex-Commons Leader urged the Government to be 'clearer' about wanting to scrap the two-child benefit cap – a significant issue for many Labour backbenchers.
