Andy Burnham has ruled out taking an MP's offer to stand down so the mayor could become Labour leader.

Speculation Mr Burnham will challenge Keir Starmer to lead the party has persisted since September, when the mayor gave a series of interviews where he criticised some government decisions. He has repeatedly declined to say he will not challenge the Prime Minister.

A big hurdle in Mr Burnham's way is the fact Labour Party rules say its leader must be an MP, meaning the mayor needs to find an incumbent MP to relinquish their seat in order to make a challenge. Labour backbencher Clive Lewis, MP for Norwich South, said last week (November 20) he would be prepared to stand down to allow the mayor to have a shot at the top job.

He told the BBC's Politics Live: "It's a question I've asked myself, and I'd have to obviously consult with my wife as well and family, but do you know what? If I'm going to sit here and say country before party, party before personal ambition, then yes, I have to say yes, don't I?"

The MP added he had spoken to Mr Burnham as he complained about the government's 'quandary'.

Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South (Image - UK Parliament)

Mr Lewis a week previously called for the Greater Manchester mayor's return to Parliament as he said Sir Keir's situation was "not tenable" and that he should "put country before party" and quit.

In the wake of his comments, Mr Burnham would not be drawn on the offer, but again declined to rule out a leadership bid. However, on Friday (November 28), he ruled out taking up Mr Lewis' seat.

In a Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting, Rochdale council leader Neil Emmott said it was an honour to have been interviewed by Steve Coogan, best known for his Alan Partridge character, at a recent event promoting the Middleton mayoral development corporation (MDC), which the comedian chairs.

Mr Burnham replied: "It was great to be interviewed by Alan Partridge. But as much as I like Mr Partridge, I will not be following him to Norwich as has been suggested in recent days."

It means the mayor has shut down his only publicly-known route to Parliament. Previously, Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne and Blackley and Middleton South MP Graham Stringer ruled out standing aside for Mr Burnham.

However, his stance on the government appears to have softened, saying he had 'confidence' in Keir Starmer to lead the party into the next election last week. He also praised Rachel Reeves' budget for scrapping the two-child benefit cap.

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