2 hours ago 
Image source, PA/Reuters
ByBrian WheelerPolitical reporter and Henry ZeffmanChief governmental correspondent
Sir Keir Starmer met Andy Burnham for talks earlier connected Tuesday, arsenic helium seeks to guarantee an "orderly" modulation of powerfulness aft announcing helium is lasting down arsenic premier minister.
It is the archetypal clip the brace person met since Burnham won past week's Makerfield by-election.
The hour-long meeting, which was archetypal reported successful the Times, external, comes arsenic Sir Keir authorised entree talks with civilian servants for prospective Labour enactment candidates to hole them for government.
Burnham is the lone campaigner to person emerged truthful acold and if helium does not look a challenger helium could go premier curate arsenic aboriginal arsenic 17 July.
If helium does go premier minister, Burnham - as archetypal reported by the Financial Times, external - is expected to connection Rachel Reeves a inferior oregon mid-level furniture position.
A adjacent state of Burnham told the BBC: "Andy truly respects Rachel and I'm assured he'll privation her successful apical team."
Reeves' squad has been contacted for a comment.
It is unclear who would regenerate Reeves arsenic Chancellor, with Ed Miliband, Wes Streeting, John Healey and Yvette Cooper among the names mooted.
Burnham is besides expected to name erstwhile Labour furniture curate James Purnell arsenic his Downing Street main of staff, according to 2 adjacent allies of the Makerfield MP.
Purnell served arsenic civilization caput and enactment and pensions caput nether Gordon Brown betwixt 2007 and 2009.
After quitting arsenic an MP successful Greater Manchester successful 2010, helium worked arsenic a elder BBC executive, assemblage vice chancellor and much precocious has been the main enforcement of a lobbying and strategy institution Flint Global.
Image source, Getty Images
Burnham and Purnell successful 2009 erstwhile the 2 men were ministers successful Gordon Brown's government
Access talks are usually granted to absorption enactment leaders up of a wide election.
The PM's spokesperson said the entree talks volition statesman "as soon arsenic possible" and earlier ceremonial nominations for immoderate Labour enactment contention adjacent connected 16 July.
The talks volition absorption connected the "formation of authorities and cardinal argumentation priorities", the PM's spokesperson added, and would see information briefings.
He said helium did not cognize if Burnham had formally requested entree talks, adding that the determination to marque them disposable had lone conscionable been made.
It comes aft Sir Keir announced helium would beryllium lasting down arsenic premier curate aft little than 2 years, aft losing the enactment of Labour MPs.
Speaking astatine a furniture gathering connected Tuesday morning, Sir Keir said helium wanted whoever became the adjacent premier curate to succeed, his spokesperson said.
The PM added that helium would "seek to resoluteness hard issues successful the coming weeks to enactment his successor" and " question to marque the modulation arsenic casual arsenic possible".
Sir Keir has agreed to suspend "major policy" and spending decisions until a caller PM is successful place.
Andy Burnham has yet to acceptable retired a elaborate argumentation docket oregon bespeak who would get the apical jobs - including chancellor - successful a authorities headed by him.
He is owed to marque a bid of speeches aimed astatine demonstrating a displacement successful attack from Sir Keir, starting adjacent week with 1 connected devolution and the economy.
The erstwhile Greater Manchester mayor, who returned to Parliament this week aft winning the Makerfield by-election, has committed to Chancellor Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules, successful a motion helium would not oversee a large emergence successful authorities borrowing.
He has besides committed to Labour's manifesto committedness not to summation the main rates of income tax, VAT oregon National Insurance, which would bounds his quality to rise important sums from tax.
But helium has spoken astir the request for much nationalist power implicit utilities similar water, gathering much assembly houses and "reindustrialising" the economy, among different priorities.
Cabinet curate Darren Jones and erstwhile equipped forces curate Al Carns are being considered arsenic imaginable candidates by immoderate Labour MPs disquieted astir installing Burnham successful No 10 without a contest.
But it is not wide whether they volition stitchery capable enactment to get connected the ballot paper.
Jones said helium was not presently minded to tally but that helium would privation assurances connected the erstwhile mayor's attack to economical policy, amid concerns among immoderate imaginable unease successful the markets.
Meanwhile, erstwhile Royal Marines serviceman Carns told journalists astatine the Foreign Press Association successful London that helium had not ruled retired lasting successful a imaginable contest.
English (US)·