Labour race gets ugly as Burnham attacks ‘malicious briefing’
By politics.co.uk staff
Tension between Labour leadership hopefuls appears to be ratcheting up by the day after Andy Burnham accused a rival of malicious briefings against him.
The Independent reported that the health secretary nearly fell out of his chair when he read a report about him looking for an early exit to avoid the humiliation of coming last.
“It was malicious briefing,” he said.
“I can only conclude that they’re worried. It was total rubbish. It’s a sign of desperation.”
There was no word on who the source of the alleged briefing might have been but many parliamentary observers presume it was Ed Balls, a fellow leadership contender who is fighting for roughly the same political territory.
Mr Balls, highly experienced and of considerable ability, is nevertheless struggling in the race due to his close association with Gordon Brown.
Mr Burnham, a fairly forgettable part of the Brown administration as health secretary, has proved a far more colourful leadership candidate, highlighting his northern roots and moving firmly to the left.
He has also begun using the word ‘socialism’ which was all but banned when the party was in government.
Ed Miliband is expected to pick up most mainstream left-wing votes, however. His brother, David, is cleaning up with centrist supporters and Blairites, while Diane Abbott is popular among those further to the left.
