Inside the Burnham campaign launch plan - and the seat he's targeting

Andy Burnham is poised to attempt one of the most dramatic political comebacks in recent history in a high risk move to return to Parliament and challenge Keir Starmer

The Mayor of Greater Manchester made the announcement on Thursday, piling fresh pressure on the embattled Prime Minister who is clinging on to power despite more than 100 MPs and ministers calling on him to go.

Burnham, who would be the front-runner in a leadership contest, came to London on Tuesday, and spoke to supportive MPs during a series of phone calls when he made his pitch to them. He told them he was “ready to go”.

We’re sweating more than ever – this is how to stay dry

I saved £560 a month without sacrificing fun – this is how

Six easy food swaps to up your fibre intake

I spent the day with a damp expert – his cheap ways to keep your home dry

Eight simple ways to reset your sleep, according to experts

The seven biggest mistakes people make when lifting weights

I’m an ageing expert, these are the biggest mistakes people make when retiring

Lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough

Navigating hot and sticky weather is often a sensory and social nightmare

With summer approaching, Dr Adil Sheraz of the British Association of Dermatologists, explains why we sweat and what we can do about it.

Why do we sweat?

Sweating is an important part of thermoregulation. When you sweat and it evaporates off the skin, it will take the latent heat with it.

Sweating is an important part of thermoregulation. When you sweat and it evaporates off the skin, it will take the latent heat with it.

We’re covered in three to four million sweat glands and the majority produce a sweat made up of just electrolytes and water. In other words, completely odourless.These eccrine glands function from birth to keep us cool.

When does sweat smell?

Glands in the armpit, groin and scalp operate differently.

They’re under the control of hormones and the glands contain lipids and potentially fatty esters.

The bacteria on our skin will feed off these fatty acids and lipids and cause the odour.

At 55, I thought my night sweats were due to menopause – but it was cancer

Are we sweating more now?

It is not just the weather impacts how we sweat…

The bigger you are (in height, weight or muscle mass), the more surface area you will need to sweat on in order to cool down.

This is why men tend to sweat more than women and why you sweat more when you gain weight.

Medical conditions like diabetesand thyroid problems will also cause increased sweating.

Certain dietary items, including caffeine, processed foods and spicy foods can also trigger the chemicals in our body which cause us to sweat more.

When does it matter?

If it’s impacting your daily life, you will likely have some form of hyperhidrosis and need to speak to a doctor to determine further.

Primary hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating with no underlying cause.

Secondary hyperhidrosis means there’s a condition or illness causing the sweating.

There are two main ways to tell the difference.

Sweating with secondary causes tends to happen all over the body rather than just localised to your palms or armpits.

Primary hyperhidrosis tends to switch off when you’re sleeping as the neurons stop firing. This doesn’t happen with secondary hyperhidrosis.

How to manage sweat

Wear natural or wicking fabrics that prevent sweat patches, or clothes that are cooling for the skin.

One that contains aliminimium is advised as it’s well known for blocking and plugging our sweat ducts.

Where possible reduce dietary causes like caffeine and spicy foods.

Can I save money without giving up fun?

When it comes to financial planning, I’ve always lived month to month, but recently I’ve wanted to be slightly more serious. So I spoke to a range of financial experts for the easiest, idiot-proof ways to be savvier with money – without just hibernating.

Print out your bank statements“This is the hardest step but you’ve got to know what’s coming in and out, down to the pound,” says financial coach Ian Dempsey. You’re more likely to remember what’s on there, and pay attention to it on paper.

Draw an image of what you’re saving for“Anything that requires discipline is much easier to achieve when you [can picture] the end goal,” says Ruth Power, from the Financial Management Bureau.

Go on a money date

If you’re in a relationship, for 30 minutes once a month, take a notebook to the pub/cafe and talk about money with your partner.

They are designed to be compulsive. Removing them gives you an extra layer of resistance.

Marketing emails are designed to reach you when you’re likely to spend money.

How it went when Kasia followed the expert advice

I delete Vinted and only re-download it when I actively want to replace something for my son that he’s grown out of.

I’m no longer buring my head in the sand. Sections of my bank statement flash into my mind when I go to use the Uber app.

Money dates have been uncomfortable. We did have a small argument about buying own-brand beans versus Heinz for example, but scribbling down numbers we want to save has also been exciting.

I have found it easier to be mindful about spending and broke some unhelpful habits, like associating walks with always getting a coffee.

How the UK currently saves

The average person in the UK has £16,067 in savings in 2025.

However, 2 in 5 Britons have £1,000 or less in savings. A quarter have £200 or less.

1 in 6 UK adults (16 per cent) have no savings at all, equating to around 8.4 million people.

Men are estimated to have 82 per cent more in savings than women.

Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) of adults state saving money is a habit.

The truth is, I’m never going to be someone with five side hustles and the financial savvy to become a bitcoin billionaire. But I’m no longer thinking, “where did my salary go?”. The small changes have, over time, made a difference to my bank account, but also my mind and self confidence. KASIA DELGADO

The truth is, I’m never going to be someone with five side hustles and the financial savvy to become a bitcoin billionaire. But I’m no longer thinking, “where did my salary go?”. The small changes have, over time, made a difference to my bank account, but also my mind and self confidence.

Six easy swaps to increase your fibre intake

We asked the experts why it’s so important to include enough fibre in our diets, and how to do it without totally overhauling our diets…

Why fibre is important

Fibre isn’t a fad nutrient. It’s been consistently linked to better health outcomes for decades. Unlike protein, which the majority of people already get enough of, fibre is something most of us (96 per cent) are significantly lacking.  NICHOLA LUDLAM-RAINE, SPECICIALIST REGISTERED DIETITIAN AND AUTHOR

Fibre isn’t a fad nutrient. It’s been consistently linked to better health outcomes for decades. Unlike protein, which the majority of people already get enough of, fibre is something most of us (96 per cent) are significantly lacking.

The small diet tweaks to make

Beans, lentils and chickpeas are fibre powerhouses, with around 6-8g per half-tin. If you find beans tricky to digest, start with microdosing them for a week and gradually build it up to half a can at a time.

One of the simplest changes you can make is to switch to wholegrain versions of everyday carbs. Swapping two slices of white bread for wholemeal adds around 3g of fibre.

How to add fibre to your diet

The skin of some foods can contain up to 50 per cent of the total fibre. Just make sure it’s safe to eat.

Level up the snacks

Berries, raw vegetables with hummus, or a small handful of nuts are all easy fibre wins.

Ludlam-Raine adds a spoon of mixed seeds to porridge, cereal, yoghurts, soups and salads.

EASY WAYS TO ADD FIBRE TO YOUR DIET

Add in, don’t take away

A few extra handfuls of fibre-rich ingredients might be all that’s needed to take your meals from average to fibre-full. Small changes are key because they’re more sustainable and better tolerated by the gut. Increasing fibre too quickly can cause bloating or discomfort.

One in four people in the UK is living with mould and/or damp in their home…

David Prince, a leading damp surveyor who travels across the country treating mould, spends the day with The i Paper writer Eleanor Peake.

Britain’s damp problem is one of the worst in Europe.

Private renters are disproportionately affected, with 45 per cent currently battling symptoms of damp.

From 2015 to 2024, British winters were 16 per cent wetter than in previous years.

By 2070, UK winters are projected to be up to 30 per cent wetter.

The house I visited with David Prince – a private rental

Renters are desperate for a resolution to their ongoing damp issue.

David notes that although the bathroom has an extractor fan, the room wasn’t being ventilated efficiently.

The hot air from the bathroom was floating towards the coldest part of the building (the bedroom) and turning into water as it hit the cold bedroom walls.

This was an internal ventilation issue, other houses have an external issue. When the guttering is overgrown the water has to go somewhere else, sometimes seeping back into the brick.

The houses most at risk

Victorian terraces, or those built in the 1910s, are more likely to have rising damp – where the water seeps through the foundation of the house.

Modern houses are often built with concrete ring beams, one of the coldest materials to build with. The damp turns to condensation just by hitting the walls.

Only a small number of damp specialists – around 250 – are registered with the Property Care Association (PCA) in the whole of the UK. This means that a majority of people in the UK are receiving quotes and recommendations about damp from building surveyors who aren’t qualified to give a diagnosis, says Prince.

The golden rules for managing damp

The most common issues can be solved by simple tweaks.

Start with the outside. When it’s raining, have a walk around your building to see if the gutters are pouring water down the wall, or water is being trapped in some way.

Make sure you have good ventilation in key wet rooms: kitchen, bathroom, utility, and toilets.

Open all your windows every day for a short period of time to force natural ventilation – even on cold days.

Never place furniture, or even pictures, on an external wall if it suffers from mould. It helps retain moisture.

How to reset your sleep

Irregular sleep has been linked with poorer cardiovascular health, metabolic disruption, inflammation and mood imbalances.If your sleep has fallen out of whack, this is what the experts recommend. From personalised ‘sleep windows’ to unhelpful bedtime routines.

It helps the brain feel safer and more predictable around sleep, which is important for people with insomnia. When sleep and wake times are consistent, that clock stays well aligned. When sleep timing is all over the place, the body clock becomes confused… dr ZOE GOTTS, CONSULTANT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AT THE LONDON SLEEP CENTRE

It helps the brain feel safer and more predictable around sleep, which is important for people with insomnia. When sleep and wake times are consistent, that clock stays well aligned. When sleep timing is all over the place, the body clock becomes confused…

The changes to make

Find your sleep window

When do you naturally start to feel tired? Aim to allow your body to sleep within that timeframe most nights.

Wake at the same time

Pick a wake-up time you can stick to and anchor everything around that, says Dr David Garley, sleep expert.

Get out into sunlight

Exposing yourself to daylight soon after waking helps to sync your circadian rhythm, says Dr Garley.

How to reset your sleep

Regulate your nervous systemMany people are running on exhaustion but still in a state of high alert, so might not be able to rest when needed, says Dr Gotts. Gentle routines, reduced evening stimulation, and calming the body can make a huge difference.

Don’t spend too long in bedIf you cannot sleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed, ideally out of the bedroom, and find a relaxing and distracting activity to do while you wait for the natural urge to return.

The tweaks to make to reset sleep

Look at your bedtime

Don’t presume earlier to bed (ie. more time in bed) equals better sleep. The timing needs to fit you.

It might mean going to bed later

Set an alarm to anchor the wake-up time, then choose a bedtime that allows you to fall asleep easily and aim to sleep solidly within that time.

Too much preparation can increase pressure around sleep so a short and consistent routine is far more effective.

Weight training has a host of benefits, but only if it’s done correctly.

We asked personal trainers the common mistakes that people make when lifting – especially for the first time or early on in their strength journey – and how to avoid them.

Priotising weight over form

When the load is too heavy, form usually breaks down, the wrong muscles take over, and the risk of injury goes up. If you can’t control the lowering part of the movement, keep good posture, or move through the full range, you’re compromising. CELEBRITY TRAINER AND PT AIMEE LONG

When the load is too heavy, form usually breaks down, the wrong muscles take over, and the risk of injury goes up. If you can’t control the lowering part of the movement, keep good posture, or move through the full range, you’re compromising.

The mistakes you could be making

If you’re reaching for the same pair of dumbbells each week you’re likely just maintaining muscle, not building.

You need adequate support for your ankles, without overly cushioning your arches.

Not timing your rest

PT Nancy Best’s advice is to take 90 seconds of downtime before picking your weight back up.

Progress does not happen during the workout itself; it happens afterwards when your body repairs and rebuilds.

Progress does not happen during the workout itself; it happens afterwards when your body repairs and rebuilds.

Poor sleep, not eating enough calories or protein, or training the same muscles hard every single day can hinder recovery and leave you constantly exhausted, says Long.

Not choosing the right exercises

An effective programme is built around variety.

Ensure your training includes each movement for the upper and lower body.

PT Luke Worthington recommends a push/pull programming.

Upper body push targets the shoulders or chest and upper body pull typically works the back.

Lower body push includes squats and leg press whereas pulls include deadlifts and hinges.

Perfect the movements before increasing the weight.

Best recommends Nike Metcons or Converse for a flat, stable surface.

Aim to eat 1.4-2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight if you’re regularly exercising.

When you’re comfortable you can increase the weight, number of sets or reps, or range of motion to progress each lift.

I reversed my osteoporosis with one hour of weight-lifting a week

The eight biggest mistakes we make when retiring

Psychologist and author Dr Denise Taylor says we shouldn’t sleepwalk into retirement, nor stop walking, just because everyone else has.

The mistakes we make when retiring

Many clients tell me their biggest regret was spending too little when they were healthiest and most able to enjoy it.

Boredom in retirement is misunderstood. It’s rarely about having nothing to do. It’s about having time without meaning.

People prepare financially and practically, but don’t do the psychological work of leaving well.

Waiting to plan what’s next

Once the structure of work disappears, people can slip into a narrower way of being. Start sketching out possible paths at least two years ahead. Even rough ideas about what you might want to explore – creative projects, volunteering, learning. DR DENISE TAYLOR

Once the structure of work disappears, people can slip into a narrower way of being. Start sketching out possible paths at least two years ahead. Even rough ideas about what you might want to explore – creative projects, volunteering, learning.

Common mistakes she sees

Not preparing as a couple

Discuss how much time you want together, and what kind of lives you’re moving towards, rather than assuming it will naturally align.

Trying to stay busy

Without noticing what drains your energy, activity becomes a way of bypassing the deeper adjustment.

Treating it as an ending

People can find themselves psychologically stranded. Days begin to blur into one another.

Retiring because everyone else is

For a generation raised to expect retirement at a certain age, default timing can feel normal.

The timing is personal.

The mistake is retiring without questioning whether that timing actually fits your own life. It ignores your relationship with work, your health and your finances.

I'm ready for retirement but my wife won’t leave her job – it's driving us apart

1For some a gradual shift is best like working fewer days or changing role, slowing down.

2Experiment before you leave. Taking a sabbatical or reducing hours can show you how retirement might feel.

3Prioritise a small number of meaningful anchors: one regular commitment, one place where you feel known and one activity.

4Slow it down psychologically – question default timing, resist expectations and ask yourself what kind of transition you are actually stepping into.

The national treasure has celebrated his centenary

For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us, he has also shown us how to age well. Here, Chief Features Writer Kasia Delgado looks into his lifestyle, and the tips he’s shared to live to 100.

Putting your feet up is all very well, but it’s very boring, isn’t it?

Putting your feet up is all very well, but it’s very boring, isn’t it?

In the last two years alone, Attenborough has done voiceovers on a number of projects, including Wild London, and a National Geographic Disney film, Ocean.Although his workload has remained high, he did acknowledge in 2017, that as he ages, he sometimes finds it harder to recall correct words as quickly as he did before.

In his 90s, Attenborough has cut back on red meat, and begun eating an increasingly vegetarian diet.Whether as he said, he “simply lost the taste” for meat, or whether it was an environmental or health reason, the NHS advises that eating a lot of red and processed meat increases your bowel cancer risk at any age.

Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough

Attenborough has previously said he has “never done exercise” in an official capacity.

But he has kept active by going for walks in Richmond, where he lives.

Interviewers who have been to his home have also mentioned him practically skipping down the stairs of his house.

David Attenborough's 16 best TV moments (you will definitely cry)

When Sir David’s wife Jane died in 1997, the couple’s adult daughter Susan moved in with her father. He said at the time: “I’m quite used to solitude in the wilds but, no, an empty house is not what I enjoy.”

He’s also been known to respond personally to fan letters and maintain relationships with people who admire him. He has no iPhone or email address and instead prefers to communicate by handwritten letter.

It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living

It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living

One source said: “Andy has found a seat and is ready to go.”

‘Andy’s found a seat but it might not be winnable’

On Thursday, Makerfield MP Josh Simons confirmed he would give up his seat for Burnham, with the Manchester Mayor urging Labour’s ruling body to allow him to stand in a by-election to return to Parliament. “Millions are struggling and a Labour Government needs to succeed,” Burnham said.

Polls show Burnham is the most popular of prospective leadership candidates, but at the moment cannot stand because he is not an MP.

He will still face obstacles. He will still need the approval of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), which blocked him from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election in January, in an attempt to protect a weakened Starmer from facing a leadership challenge from the so-called “King of the North”.

One ally familiar with the plans said they feared the seat Burnham had found may not be winnable. Simons currently sits on a majority of just over 5,000, with Reform in second place. Nigel Farage’s party won every seat in the area in last week’s council elections.

According to reports in The Times, Burnham’s allies believe they are at least one person short of a majority on the NEC. Several prominent Labour figures, including Lucy Powell, deputy leader of the party, and Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, have said publicly that he should be allowed to return to Parliament.

Then he must win the by-election.

His announcement follows a trawl of Manchester constituencies. On Wednesday Downing Street believed the constituency he was targeting was Afzal Khan’s seat of Manchester Rusholme.

Labour MP Khan is a former lord mayor of Manchester and is one of Burnham’s closest political allies. Khan previously denied he would give way for Burnham.

Other constituencies that allies of Burnham had been targeting include Peter Dowd’s seat of Bootle, in Merseyside, Charlotte Nichols’s seat of Warrington North, and Marie Rimmer’s seat of St Helens South – although all have denied that they are preparing to step down.

Recent MRP polling shows the challenges he may face to win in a by-election, the Green Party is predicted to win Manchester Rusholme at the next election with a projected 50 per cent vote share, to Labour’s 24 per cent.

Warrington North is a target for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, and the projected vote share for a 2029 general election suggests this seat would lead to a neck-and-neck race between Reform and Labour. Reform is currently slightly ahead, by 41 per cent to 40.

In St Helens South, the projected vote share for the next election suggests Reform would take the seat on 30 per cent, to Labour’s 25. Only in Bootle does Labour’s projected share of 36 per cent beat its nearest rival Reform, who are on 24 per cent.

A source said: “Andy has found a seat, but the worry is that it might not be winnable. He is going to have to throw everything at it and knows it’s a risk but is going to go for it anyway.”

Burnham must beat the clock

Initial concern over whether the time frame of a leadership race would give Burnham enough time to return to Parliament were allayed when former health secretary Wes Streeting did not launch a contest as expected on Thursday.

Instead he resigned from the Cabinet, arguing any contest “needs to be broad, and it needs the best possible field of candidates”. “I hope that you will facilitate this,” he said in his letter to Sir Keir Starmer.

Burnham’s allies hope a by-election writ can be moved quickly to ensure that he is back in Parliament in time in the event a leadership contest still beingtriggered.

A Labour insider made clear that his backers would push the NEC to make sure any contest allows time for the Greater Manchester Mayor to return to Parliament and throw his hat in the ring.

“It is in the NEC’s power to set any timetable it thinks sensible,” they said. “It is perfectly possible to set a timetable that allows for Andy to get into Parliament in the meantime.”

Put to them that that would delay the start of the race considerably, the source said: “Is that more or less mad than Labour holding a contest for leader with the most popular Labour politician in the country blocked from consideration?”

A leading soft-left Labour MP and Burnham ally said before Streeting’s resignation that “Angela [Rayner] will be [the candidate]” if Streeting triggers the leadership race tomorrow. “But the enthusiasm will be muted. We’re in a very, very poor place and I think the party will become increasingly ungovernable. It’s shit or bust, or Reform.”

They also dismissed the idea of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband standing as “delusional”.

‘Momentum building for Burnham’

Burnham’s allies say momentum behind him has been building and he is thought to have the support of Tribune, an influential group of up to 100 soft-left MPs. On the opposite side of the party, he is also understood to have won the backing of some MPs in the Blue Labour movement.

One Labour MP in the North of England said: “Burnham is the only one who can save the Labour Party and stop Nigel Farage from becoming the next prime minister.

“When I was out on the doorstep during the recent local elections, lots of people told me they would not be voting Labour at the next general election. However, when I asked whether they would vote Labour if Andy Burnham was the leader, the answer was very different. They see him as their man.”

Burnham, who has made a series of policy speeches at ideologically aligned think-tanks in recent months, is said to be preparing an explicit programme for government that would be announced at a prospective parliamentary by-election campaign.

Pledges backed by Burnham, a former health secretary, include introducing proportional representation for parliamentary elections, a 10-year plan for local services, and an overhaul of inheritance tax to pay for the social care system.

This article was updated on 14 May 2026