Burnham promises Labour MPs he will not use party discipline to ‘stifle debate’

Prime minister in waiting looks to address frustrations backbenchers had with Keir Starmer’s style of party management

Andy Burnham has promised MPs that he will never use party discipline to “stifle debate” and says they should raise problems and policy ideas “without fear or favour”.

Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on Thursday, and Burnham is expected to be the only candidate. On Wednesday night the former armed forces minister Al Carns confirmed he would not seek to enter the race to replace Keir Starmer.

Burnham’s backers are hoping to receive hundreds of nominations from MPs as a strong mandate.

In a letter to Labour MPs, Burnham made sweeping promises to tackle many of the frustrations MPs had with Starmer’s style of party management, including his strict approach to party discipline. He routinely withdrew the whip from rebellious MPs.

The Makerfield MP said he would change that culture and allow MPs to speak out about their disagreements without fearing retribution from the whips. “I want to create a different culture where MPs are happy and fulfilled doing their jobs, where everyone has a part to play and where opinions and approaches are respected, even where there’s difference,” he said.

“The Whips’ Office should be our HR department, not something to be feared or where discipline is used to stifle debate.”

Burnham said he would “lead from the front on culture change, political direction and narrative” but that MPs had a breadth of experience that he wanted to hear.

He said all of the cabinet and ministers would be instructed to meaningfully engage with MPs. He said he would be “visible and accountable” to MPs, including attending parliamentary Labour party meetings regularly as well as committees and the groups for women and for ethnic minorities.

Burnham also promised he and the cabinet would routinely vote in parliament – which Starmer was criticised for rarely doing. “I understand the importance of voting together as equals. My expectation for myself and ministers is that voting is a core part of the job. It’s a chance for important conversations and shared experience to be had,” he said.

Burnham said he would build a cabinet and ministerial team which “represents the broad church of our movement. I also want ministers and others to be doing jobs they are passionate about and have a deep interest in. All appointments will be made on merit.”

He said that he had heard from MPs whose felt their skills and experience were unknown or not valued. “I am determined to ensure that everyone’s skills and experiences are valued and put to good use,” he said.

Cabinet ministers will be required to spend much of their time doing engagement on their policy development, he said.

“I want a new approach to politics where we take much more of a partnership approach to policies and legislation. The usual way of ministers and civil servants drafting legislation and presenting it as a fait accompli needs to end,” he said.

Burnham said he was interested in exploring how parliament could be modernised to become less adversarial and more collaborative.

“Politics hasn’t been good enough, but I know we can do better. Our government will change the way the country is run: place first, not party first; problem solving, not point scoring,” he said.

“We will take power out of Whitehall and Westminster and put it in the hands of the people and places who can use it best. This is a moment where we can lift living standards and get Britain believing in itself again.”

Burnham has yet to name any members of his cabinet but has begun talks with the civil service with his chief of staff, James Purnell , and the former transport secretary Louise Haigh, a close ally who is expected to get a significant cabinet role.

The former mayor has been meeting hundreds of MPs over the past fortnight in parliament, as well as ministers who have been making the case to keep their roles.