Al Carns, who was the last Labour MP standing between Andy Burnham and No 10 before deciding not to challenge him, is unlikely to land a major Cabinet role, allies of the prospective prime minister said.
The former Royal Marine Commando looks set to remain on the backbenches after he repeatedly refused to rule himself out of Labour’s leadership race until Wednesday evening.
Carns resigned as Armed Forces minister last month in protest at the underfunding of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), alongside John Healey who quit as defence secretary. Despite hinting that he could challenge the new Makerfield MP for the leadership in recent weeks, an ally told The i Paper that Carns was actually aiming to secure the job of defence secretary in Burnham’s cabinet.
Shorts
Nominations for the Labour leadership open on Thursday and allies of the former Greater Manchester Mayor want a “show of strength” from around 300 Labour MPs to sweep aside any prospective competition. The deadline for nominations is July 15.
