Coming up: Andy Burnham to speak ahead of Makerfield by-election

Coming up: Andy Burnham to speak ahead of Makerfield by-election

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, speaks at the Great Northern Investment Summit in Leeds ahead of the Makerfield by-election.

Nominations for the Labour candidate for the by-election close shortly. Potential leadership challenger Andy Burnham has been cleared to put his name forward.

If selected, he would need to win the election and secure the support of 81 Labour MPs before he can trigger a leadership contest.

The prime minister has defied calls to step down in recent days, with more than 90 of his own MPs urging him to go.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells Labour staff says he’s “focused on the job”. He will support the party’s Makerfield by-election candidate “whoever they are”.

The prime minister has defied calls to step down in recent days, with more than 90 of his own MPs urging him to go

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said Starmer “fights on”, and that it is time Labour “gets back on the pitch after days of introspection and infighting”