Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls to announce a timetable to stand down if Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election. The Prime Minister said “I’m not going to do that” when asked about demands by Labour MPs to set out a timeline for his departure from No 10.

Sir Keir insisted that his premiership is not over and he wants to lead Labour into the next general election. It comes as the PM is fighting for his political survival in the wake of the May elections, with the Greater Manchester Mayor and Wes Streeting vying to oust him.

Speaking on Monday, Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to do that.”

He went on: “I do want to fight the next election. Obviously, I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around and making sure that my focus is in the right place.

“The last 10 days, there’s been a lot of activity, which hasn’t been as focused in my view as it should have been, and I remind myself every day that I was elected to office to serve the people, to serve the country, that’s what I believe in, and that’s what I’ll be getting on with.”

It comes as Mr Burnham vowed to “change Labour” if he is successful in his effort to return to Parliament.

The Greater Manchester Mayor said Labour’s offer to voters had “simply not been good enough”.

In a speech at a northern investment summit in Leeds, he said: “I’m clear about what I am offering. If I get to stand, a vote for me will be a vote to change Labour, because Labour needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust.

“It will be a vote to make life more affordable again, a vote to power up places, a vote to reindustrialise.”

He promised a “new path which brings the country back together”, adding: “I know what my party has offered in the past has simply not been good enough.”