ANDY Burnham will face a “battle for the soul of the nation” upon entering N10, outgoing Sir Keir Starmer warned yesterday.

Sir Keir lent his expertise while admitting he had failed to lay out a “simple and accessible vision for Britain’s future,” in a post on Substack called addressing an unnamed successor.

The outgoing leader added his voice to a series of senior political figures, including that of a former treasury adviser under Gordon Brown, handing the former Greater Manchester mayor advice ahead of his likely crowning as PM on July 20.

Sir Keir warned that without the Labour Party “the forces of reaction, conservatism and grievance are free to turn Britain against itself unhindered.”

Calling it “a battle for the soul of the nation,” he said: “It is a fight my successor must now lead and I wish them the very best in their endeavours.”

He added it “is vital they succeed,” adding that the next PM must prioritise support for children.

Former Treasury chief economic adviser Nicholas Stern weighed in on Mr Burnham’s pick for Chancellor yesterday, pushing for Ed Miliband.

Mr Stern has argued that only the current energy secretary has the “bold” vision to revive the economy, to accelerate investment and rebuild public trust in the government’s ability to “get things done.”

Currently a professor at the London School of Economics, he was a senior figure in the treasury during Gordon Brown’s premiership and has served as a chief economist at the World Bank.

“I think of him as competent and strategic. I would also say bold,” he told the Guardian.

He added that Miliband had “the ability to explain why it should involve an increase in spending of two or three percentage points of national income.

“That’s the kind of sums we need to invest in clean, efficient and modern infrastructure, particularly around energy, cities and transport. That will be a big part of the growth story.

Referring to Mr Miliband’s moratorium on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, he added: “Investing in North Sea oil is not a strategy for the technologies of the 21st century.”

Former health secretary Wes Streeting and home secretary Shabana Mahmood are both still thought to be in the running for the post, but Mr Burnham has yet to announce who will replace Rachel Reeves.