Andy Burnham refuses to rule out pact with Greens if he replaces Keir Starmer as PM

Andy Burnham has refused to rule out a pact with the Green Party if he replaces Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester is contesting the Makerfield by-election on June 18 in a bid to become a Labour MP for the first time since 2017.

If successful, Mr Burnham will then take on the Prime Minister as he vies for the Labour leadership.

However, he faces stern opposition from Reform UK, who remain the most popular party in Britain according to recent polls, with the Green Party also surging in momentum.

Zack Polanski's party is polling at 15 per cent, with voters flocking from Labour to the left-wing alternative.

When asked if Mr Burnham would work with the Green Party in a "progressive alliance”, the Mayor of Greater Manchester told The Observer: "I would try and work with all political parties."

He added: "Enduring change tends to come when it’s more than your own tribe subscribing to it.

"I feel really strongly that British politics has got to get back to a search for common ground."

FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY…

Henry Nowak's murder should be treated like George Floyd's, demands Robert Jenrick amid calls to ban Sikh knives

Robert Jenrick has called for Henry Nowak's murder to be treated in the same way as George Floyd's.

On Thursday, Vickrum Digwa, 23, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of murdering the 18-year-old university student.

Mr Nowak was killed on December 3 last year as he was walking home from a night out in Southampton.

He was stabbed 5 times, including a fatal wound to the chest, by a 21cm Sikh ceremonial blade, and called out "I can't breathe" as he lay dying in the street.

Writing in The Telegraph shortly after the verdict was returned, Mr Jenrick pointed out Labour's "stony silence" surrounding the case.

He wrote: "Not a peep from the Home Secretary. Not a word from the Prime Minister who is normally quick to respond to deaths involving the police, both in the UK and abroad.

"Remember the spectacle of him 'taking the knee' over George Floyd’s death?"

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Labour pledges 300,000 new work placements 'to help young people build lasting careers'

The Government have pledged to introduce tens of thousands of new work experience and training placements from construction to hospitality for young people as part of efforts to tackle the joblessness crisis.

The 300,000 new placements over the next three years are backed by some of Britain’s biggest employers, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said.

These include Manchester and Gatwick airports, and the Government has vowed that placements will reach young people across the country.

The placements, also expected to include health and social care, have been confirmed just a day after a report warning of the risk of a “lost generation”.

The number of the UK’s 16 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training - known as Neets - rose to more than a million, figures published on Thursday confirmed.

Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who was tasked with leading the review into Neets, wrote that lack of work experience is “the single most-cited barrier to work amongst young people”.

His report said: “At present, the provision of work experience is an afterthought for many schools. Students are often told to find their own placements. Unsurprisingly, those without strong networks and connections are more likely to miss out."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter