Andy Burnham has furiously backpedalled on his previous call for the UK rejoin the EU as Brexit threatens to dominate the Makerfield by-election. It comes as the Conservative Party pounced on the economic uncertainty caused by Labour's infighting, claiming that the Greater Manchester Mayor's plans would cost British families.

Mr Burnham caused a furore last year when he said: "I hope in my lifetime I see this country rejoin the European Union." But speaking at an event in Leeds on Monday, the Labour Leadership hopeful said: "My view is that Brexit has been damaging, but I also believe the last thing we should do right now is re-run those arguments. Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we're just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other."

Mr Burnham, the so-called "king of the North" who hopes winning Makerfield will be his route back into Parliament, went on to U-turn on his earlier pledge to drag the UK back to Brussels.

He said: "I am not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU. I respect the decision that was made at the referendum, and it is going to undermine everything I have said about strengthening democracy if we don't respect that vote."

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice MP branded him the "king of the U-turn" in a withering takedown on social media.

The Conservatives also piled on the pressure, warning of a "Burnham penalty" that could cost every working family in the country £300 a year.

Sir Mel Stride warned that the UK is now paying more to borrow money than any other Western economy. The Shadow Chancellor said the economic uncertainty caused by Mr Burnham's ambitions would leave British families poorer.

On Tuesday, the Tory frontbencher will say that the ambitious Mayor "is already costing us all money before the by-election writ has even been served".

He will add: "Markets do not care about personalities - they care about the fundamentals. And there are two important fundamental factors here.

"One is the prospect of a new prime minister coming in with a plan to borrow even more, to raise anti-growth taxes even higher than those baked into existing plans, and with an insufficient understanding of the connection between these actions and market movements."

One of Mr Burnham's supporters, Labour MP Paula Barker, had previously stoked economic fears by suggesting that bond markets "will have to fall in line" with Mr Burnham's agenda.

The by-election in the heavily Leave-voting seat was triggered after MP Josh Simons resigned to clear a path for Mr Burnham to return to Parliament.

Mr Burnham said a vote for him would be "a vote to make life more affordable again, a vote to power up places, a vote to reindustrialise".

He has called for "greater public control" of water, energy, housing and transportation.

The battle has ignited chaos at the heart of the Labour Party, with Sir Keir Starmer rejecting calls to lay out a timeline to stand down if Mr Burnham wins the by-election.

The besieged PM told the media he was "not going to do that" as he vowed to fight on, come what may.