Andy Burnham has been dealt a new blow as the latest polling reveals Labour would lose to Reform UK in the next general election if he replaced Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister.
A Mr Burnham-led Labour Party polled at 20 per cent of voters in the next general election.
This is two points above the party as led by Sir Keir, but still three points behind Reform UK on 23 per cent, according to new polling from BMG Research.
Under the Greater Manchester Mayor, Labour would cause a two-point fall in support for both Reform UK and the Green Party.
But a slightly higher proportion of voters said they were unsure, or would not vote when compared with Sir Keir.
Polling conducted for The i Paper suggests a "Burnham bump" would not be significant enough to rescue Labour's general election hopes.
Jack Curry, pollster at BMG, said: "When we tested likelihood to vote for Burnham’s Labour against Starmer’s, there was a small increase in those who would back the party under Burnham, but even if he wins the Makerfield by-election and becomes Labour leader, it is by no means guaranteed he would turn around Labour’s electoral fortunes straight away."
Mr Burnham is set to square off with Reform UK's Robert Kenyon to become an MP in the Makerfield-by-election on June 18.
An Andy Burnham-led Labour would not be enough to overcome Nigel Farage's Reform UK in a general election
|GETTY
A victory in the highly-watched by-election would likely be a precursor to a leadership bid to replace Sir Keir.
While other leadership rivals have emerged, Mr Burnham polled higher than all other named MPs combined at 24 per cent, 20 points higher than the next highest candidate - former Health Secretary Wes Streeting - who sits at four per cent.
Both leadership rivals came under fire from Sir Tony Blair, who said both men were "anxious to distance themselves from the 'Westminster bubble'."
The former Prime Minister called for the Government to crack down on welfare spending, abandon restrictions on oil and gas production, and ease relations with Donald Trump.
MORE IN MAKERFIELD:
Nigel Farage's Reform UK would win a general election if it were held
|GETTY
Both men called out Sir Tony for not adequately addressing inequality, described by Mr Streeting as "the defining issue of our age" in an article he wrote for The Guardian.
And in his own article for The Times, Mr Burnham wrote: "The fall in the living standards of millions, and the reality that life has got harder for most year on year since the financial crash in 2008, is, I believe, the gaping omission in his analysis."
The Greater Manchester Mayor has pledged to put Labour "solidly on the side of working class people", pledging to tackle inequality.
Also included as potential Labour leadership candidates were Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband at three per cent each, with Rachel Reeves and Shabana Mahmood receiving two per cent.
Sir Tony Blair weighed in on the current state of the Labour party and the leadership challenge in a lengthy essay
|GETTY
Notably, the polling found the percentage of Labour supporters wanting to replace Sir Keir has fallen by five points to 37 per cent with a two-point increase in those who want him to remain, up to 48 per cent.
Mr Curry from BMG said: "There has been a slight shift towards those who want Starmer to stay as leader, with backing for him to remain ticking up since April.
"But the underlying picture remains uncomfortable for the Prime Minister, with a clear majority of those expressing a view still wanting him gone."
A Reform UK spokesman said: "Reform has all the momentum in British politics and we have now had the lead in nearly 300 opinion polls in a row.
"This latest polling proves exactly the same as we are seeing in Makerfield - only Reform can beat Labour."