Andy Burnham is being tipped to pull support away from the Green Party if he replaces Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
The newly elected MP for Makerfield is widely expected to launch a leadership bid once he returns to Westminster.
Although Burnham has promised to keep figures from Labour’s right wing in key roles, including Shabana Mahmood, some commentators believe his leadership would push the government further to the left.
Speaking to GB News, New Statesman political correspondent Megan Kenyon said such a shift could weaken left-wing parties like the Greens.
GB News host Charlie Peters asked whether Burnham’s rise could pull left-leaning voters back to Labour.
“If Andy Burnham takes over, could supporters or figures who drifted away from Labour return?” he asked.
Kenyon pointed to the Makerfield result, noting the Green Party of England and Wales ran only a limited campaign and secured just 0.7 per cent of the vote, losing their deposit.
She added that Green leader Zack Polanski had campaigned on a message of restoring hope — something she said strongly echoed Burnham’s rhetoric.
“A lot of Burnham’s messaging focused on hope,” she said. “It’s very similar to what Polanski was offering, and there are policy overlaps too.”
Kenyon suggested disillusioned Labour voters who had switched to the Greens could be tempted back under Burnham.
“I think the Greens could face a tough challenge now,” she said.
She also noted the party plans to go all out in the upcoming Greater Manchester by-election.
“If Andy Burnham is leading Labour in the coming months, we could definitely see the Greens lose some momentum,” she predicted.
Kenyon added Burnham would need to strike a careful balance between Labour’s left and right factions.
“He faces a difficult task in keeping Labour’s broad coalition together — something Starmer hasn’t managed especially well,” she said.
She argued Labour could return to the broad-church model seen under Tony Blair, who managed to keep both soft-left and right-wing figures within the party.
“It’s possible,” she said, “but it won’t be easy.”
