Cabinet minister styles himself 'Queen of the South' as he takes a swipe at 'entitled' Andy Burnham and urges Labour MPs to learn from the Tories that changing leader won't solve woes

A Cabinet minister today took a thinly-veiled swipe at 'entitled' Andy Burnham as tensions continued to rise amid Labour's bitter leadership battle. Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, warned that 'entitlement is not a qualification for leadership' in comments that appeared to be directed at Mr Burnham. He added that British politics rewards 'the wrong behaviour' as he cautioned against crediting those who 'want to thrust themselves forward at moments of instability'. The apparent dig at Mr Burnham came as the Greater Manchester mayor continued his campaign in the Makerfield by-election, as he bids to return to Westminster.

If he wins the June 18 contest, Mr Burnham is widely expected to go on and challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership with a view to replacing him in Downing Street. It follows Labour's dismal election results across Scotland, Wales and English councils last month, which plunged the Prime Minister's future into fresh jeopardy.

But, speaking at a lunch event in Parliament, Mr Kyle urged Labour MPs to learn lessons from when the Tories had five different premiers in just over six years. The Hove and Portslade MP also agreed he could be styled as Labour's 'Queen of the South' - in contrast to Mr Burnham, who is known as the party's 'King of the North'. 'When it comes to the Queen of the South, which I'm very comfortable with... I'm sure people out there are going to start saying 'is that an appropriate thing to say to a gay man?' It's an entirely appropriate thing,' Mr Kyle told Westminster journalists.

In a message directed to his fellow Labour MPs - amid their ongoing angst at Sir Keir's leadership - Mr Kyle added that 'leadership is more than one person'. 'If you're running a country, leadership is a government-wide affair,' he said. 'I don't think we've learned the lessons of the Tory party in government, where every time there was a problem... there was only one solution, and that's changing the leader at the top. 'There was never an acceptance of the Tory party at the time that the challenges they had were related to a programme of government... and they always just felt that changing the person at the top would solve it.' Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, is also expected to enter a future Labour leadership contest following his resignation from the Cabinet last month.

But while Mr Kyle acknowledged that he and Mr Streeting are 'really close friends', he suggested this did not mean he would automatically back him to replace Sir Keir. He said: 'Wes and I are really close friends. We shared an office together for nine years. We speak very, very often.

'But, I'll tell you this, and this is something that Wes and I agree on, is that if you've got friendship ahead of what you believe is in the interest of the country, that takes you to a very bad place.' Mr Kyle noted how, during Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's battles in the New Labour government, 'in many circumstances, loyalty was demanded to an individual rather than a programme for government'. 'Well, my commitment is to the country, because I'm a politician,' he added. 'My commitment and passion is for a programme of government, and if friendships can't endure difference, then it's not a real friendship.' The Business Secretary went on to bemoan how 'we reward the wrong behaviour in politics', at a time when Mr Burnham is the bookies' heavy favourite to replace Sir Keir. 'I've spoken quite openly about how my actions speak louder than words and what approach I'm applying, what questions I'm asking myself, when it comes to making difficult decisions,' he said.

'But they're not the things that the media report as positives. What the media report as positives is individual people that want to thrust themselves forward at moments of instability. 'And I don't think our body politic - of which you are part - rewards the behaviour that you are challenging me about. 'People who put their heart and soul into delivering stability and authority at times of challenge is not what is reported, is not what is rewarded in our body politic.

And that is something that we all have to own up to. 'And if you want me to be even more indiscreet, entitlement is not a qualification for leadership. 'Until we ask the question of what is a qualification for leadership - and it is a different one to that one - then I think we're always going to end up in this cycle of change. 'Because if we simply reward the wrong behaviour and if that gets you to the top, then we have another throw of the dice.