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GREATER MANCHESTER MAYOR Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing in a UK by-election by Labour’s ruling body, triggering a row within the party.
Burnham, one of the party’s most high-profile politicians, is seen by many as a challenger to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership of the party and has made no secret of his ambitions.
He announced yesterday that he would seek to stand as Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton constituency.
However, under Labour rules, a directly-elected mayor has to seek permission from the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) before they can be nominated as a candidate for the British parliament.
Sources in the NEC told the Press Association there had been a “very clear majority” against allowing Burnham from applying for selection in the seat due to concerns about the cost of fighting a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester.
The decision was made by a 10-strong sub-group of the NEC, chaired by the UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this morning.
Confirming the decision in a statement, the Labour Party said the NEC had decided to deny Burnham permission to stand in order to avoid “an unnecessary election for the position of Greater Manchester mayor”.
The party said a mayoral by-election “would have a substantial and disproportionate impact on party campaign resources” before local and devolved elections in May.
It added: “Although the party would be confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC could not put Labour’s control of Greater Manchester at any risk.
“Andy Burnham is doing a great job as mayor of Greater Manchester.
“We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary mayoral election which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost of living crisis.”
There has been no reaction from Burnham so far. However, Mainstream – a left-leaning group within the party that counts Burnham as one of its founders – has called for Labour to reverse the decision.
“This stitch-up from the top will undermine Labour’s credibility with the public and send the wrong message to the dedicated members of our party,” the group said. “And it could cost the Labour Party the Gorton and Denton by-election.”
Blocking Burnham is likely to provoke anger from some parts of the Labour Party after several senior figures called for local members to have the final say on whether he should stand.
They included deputy party leader Lucy Powell, herself an NEC member, and Cabinet minister Ed Miliband. They both told a conference in London yesterday that the decision should be left to members.
A Labour backbencher told the Press Association the decision was “a total shitshow” and “utter nonsense”, predicting the party would now lose the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh said the decision was “incredibly disappointing” and called for the NEC to “change course and make the right decision”.
“Otherwise I think we’ll all come to regret this,” she said.
Labour MP Richard Burgon called for an “emergency NEC meeting” as he accused the party leadership of being prepared to lose a by-election to protect “factional interests”.
Burgon, who is secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, said: “Keir Starmer and his clique have shown they’re prepared to lose Gorton and Denton to Reform – just to protect narrow factional interests.
“It’s weak leadership – and will only deepen the crisis the party is in. There should now be an emergency NEC meeting to resolve this mess.”
Although previous MP Andrew Gwynne won the constituency comfortably in 2024, the collapse in Labour’s polling numbers since then means the party now faces a tough fight with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Green Party to retain the seat.
Other Labour MPs backed the decision, however, urging the party to avoid infighting and move on to winning the by-election.
Phil Brickell, who represents the Greater Manchester constituency of Bolton West, said speculation about Burnham’s candidacy in recent days had “seen the Labour Party quickly turn inward… undermining the PM’s efforts at home and abroad”.
Rugby MP John Slinger said the “quick and clear decision” meant the party could “move on from the damaging, introspection and psychodrama of the last week” and “pull together” behind the eventual candidate.
With reporting from Press Associaton
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