I am relieved that the Prime Minister has confirmed to Cabinet that he will not be standing down despite the internal pressures of recent days. In the last 24 hours, I made clear both to inquiring colleagues and to the Chief Whip of the Labour Party that I would be backing the Prime Minister and supporting his continued leadership.
There is only one person who was given a mandate by the British public to lead this country, and that is the Prime Minister. At a time like this, my support remains firmly with the leader that the public elected to govern, and I believe our responsibility now is to unite behind that mandate.
We all saw the damage caused by the constant leadership changes and internal divisions under the Tories, uncertainty that undermined public confidence, ruined our international reputation and distracted from the serious work of governing. I do not believe it would be right for us to repeat those same mistakes.
While there is clearly much work for us to do as a party and as a Government, particularly after recent election results, I believe that work must be focused on listening, reflecting and improving, not by creating further division. The public expect stability, seriousness and leadership from Government, and it is our responsibility to provide exactly that.
Recent speculation regarding my parliamentary constituency seat is completely unfounded.
Andy Burnham and I have not spoken since the 2024 General Election campaign, when we were campaigning in Altrincham. Suggestions that there have been recent discussions between us about my seat are absolute nonsense.
I have a great deal of respect for Andy, he has done some incredible work in Manchester, but I am not planning to stand down for him or for anybody else. I was selected by my Constituency Labour Party and elected by the people of St Helens South and Whiston to represent them in Parliament, and I intend to honour that mandate.
At a time when there are serious challenges facing our country and our communities, my focus remains solely on serving my constituents and supporting stable leadership in the Prime Minister. I do not believe that internal chaos or leadership speculation serves the interests of the Labour Party or our country. We were elected to govern and to deliver for working people, and that is where our attention should remain.
Any decisions about the future representation of this constituency would only ever be made in consultation with my constituents and my Constituency Labour Party.
