Labor MP Clive Lewis has offered to give up his seat to allow Andy Burnham to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labor leadership.
There has been constant speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham wants to take over Sir Keir’s top job, but would need to be an MP to do so.
Lewis told the BBC’s Politics Live that he was willing to give up his Norwich South seat to allow Burnham to return to the Commons and put “country before party, party before personal ambition”.
Burnham has been contacted for comment. No. 10 declined to comment.
Lewis, who has been an MP for 10 years, said he had spoken to Burnham and when asked if he would give up his seat to her, he said it was “a question I have asked myself”.
He added: “You know what? If I’m going to sit here and say country before party, party before personal ambition, then yes, I have to say yes, right?”
Last week, he said Sir Keir’s position as prime minister was “untenable” and told Channel 4 News that Burnham should be given the chance to “step forward”.
Lewis first won his seat in 2015 and last year increased his majority to more than 13,000.
But if he were to resign, any potential successor would first have to win a selection contest before a by-election was held.
In September, Burnham said she had “no intention of leaving Manchester” but did not rule out challenging Sir Keir after a series of interviews in which she said colleagues had urged him to stand.
Two Manchester Labor MPs, Andrew Gwynne and Graham Stringer, ruled out resigning for him ahead of the party’s conference in September.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir has said he will lead the Labor Party in the next general election. It came after a painful moment last week, when anonymous reports were given to journalists that some cabinet ministers were plotting to overthrow him.
Concerned ministers have insisted this is not the case, but speculation continues over whether the Prime Minister will face a challenge in May, when Labor is expected to perform poorly in the Scottish and Welsh elections, and in the English local elections.
Anyone promoting a leadership bid would have to secure the backing of 80 Labor MPs.
