He lost his whip for four months last year due to his opposition to the government welfare reform – which was largely watered down after the backbench rebellion.
Maskell already has a meeting with Burnham in the diary, and Noah Law, Labor’s 2024 MP, says he is finding time too.
“I’ve had a better time with him than I’ve had with other senior leaders or chief executives, let alone the prime minister,” Law said, advising Burnham must keep his “ear to the ground” going forward.
2. Agree to disagree
Burnham should not copy Starmer’s approach of zero tolerance for dissent and suspending MPs who vote against the government, MPs said.
Neil Duncan-Jordan, another social welfare rebel whom Starmer suspended, says the former mayor of Greater Manchester must “make sure all voices are heard, and opposition is not seen as dishonest.”
He wants policies outside the 2024 manifesto to “go through a back committee from across the political spectrum” to avoid “making announcements in a vacuum and lacking support.”
