'Get real!' Steve Reed scolded for denying Labour's imminent 'civil war' after Andy Burnham victory

Watch the moment GB News host Alex Armstrong clashed with Steve Reed after the Housing Secretary denied an imminent "civil war" would soon engulf the Labour Party.

Appearing on GB News Breakfast following Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election, Mr Reed made clear that the newly elected MP's focus is on "electing a new mayor of Greater Manchester".

Congratulating Mr Burnham on his win, Mr Reed told GB News: "I'm delighted that Andy won that victory up in Makerfield. People were saying it was going to be touch and go right up to the very, very last minute, and I'm delighted he won.

"He was the Labour candidate in that by-election, he fought an absolutely brilliant campaign, and I'm going to welcome him with my colleagues to Parliament when he comes down on Monday as the new MP, so well done, Andy."

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Pressed by host Ellie Costello on whether he is currently "backing the wrong horse" following Mr Burnham's victory, the Labour minister denied a possible leadership challenge.

He said: "I'm delighted that Andy won, really, really pleased and looking forward to welcoming him back here. I've known him for years, so he's going to be a fantastic MP.

"He's got so much experience to bring from Greater Manchester, but I know what Andy is going to be focusing on because despite all the speculation, one thing is a certainty and that is that there will now be a by-election to elect a new Mayor of Greater Manchester.

"That is one of the biggest political jobs in the country, and we know from looking at what happened in Makerfield, it's going to be a straight fight between Labour and Reform.

"Now we desperately need to select a great Labour candidate and make sure they win that that mayoralty, and we do that by standing together, not by fighting each other. But I know that's what Andy will want because I've known Andy for years."

Highlighting Mr Burnham's strong popularity, Mr Reed was pressed on whether the new Makerfield MP would "make a better Prime Minister" compared to the historically unpopular Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Reed defended Sir Keir, responding: "Each of the last four prime ministers in this country has in turn been the most unpopular. The truth is, if you're the Prime Minister of this country, you've got to take really tough decisions to steer this country through the very difficult choices to fix the problems we inherited from the Conservatives.

"The best thing we can do is bring all the talent we can together. We have a Government that is made up of a whole load of MPs. We need to bring the best talent we possibly can together, and now we've got Andy Burnham with us once again, and he's got a very, very big role to play."

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Challenging Mr Reed's remarks, host Alex Armstrong hit back: "Come on, let's get real here. I appreciate you're a politician, but let's have a bit of reality.

"Andy Burnham has signalled time and time again he is going to challenge the Prime Minister, we know that's coming. That is going to throw your party into civil war if the Prime Minister doesn't stand down. Will you be backing Andy Burnham or will you be backing the Prime Minister?"

Mr Reed disagreed with Alex, telling GB News: "No, I think there are people out there like Reform that would love us to, but no, we're not going to give Nigel Farage what he wants.

"We're going to focus on the Greater Manchester mayoralty and make sure that we win that, and we're going to focus on changing this country for the people, for the people that live here and need us to do more for them."

He continued: "Andy Burnham said today in his acceptance speech, people need to feel change in their lives. This is a party where our vision for what we need to do is very, very crystal clear. Despite all the speculation, this party wants to stand united and face the challenges that are confronting the people of this country.

"We don't want to turn inwards and fight each other like the Tories did, because we saw what it did to Britain, and we're not going to follow their path."

In his victory speech, Mr Burnham assured constituents that his Makerfield seat would serve not as a "stepping stone" to becoming the Prime Minister.

He said: "It will never be a stepping stone to me, but instead will be my touchstone. A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will ensure the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness."

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