Andy Burnham’s hopes of returning to the House of Commons for the first time in nine years have been dashed by his party’s ruling committee.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester wanted to become Labour’s candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, prompted by the resignation of suspended MP Andrew Gwynne.
In a letter to the chair of the committee, known as the NEC, Burnham explained he wanted to use his experience to help the government ‘go further and faster’.
‘I would be there to support the work of the government, not undermine it,’ he wrote.
But there were few people who doubted the Mayor has much grander ambitions – and may have had his eyes on Keir Starmer’s job, after some high-profile criticism of the PM.
This morning, the committee decided in a meeting they would not allow Burnham to apply as a candidate.
Want to understand more about how politics affects your life?
Metro's senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down all the chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.
The move has already been met with enormous backlash from MPs and unions who – along with top Labour figures such as deputy leader Lucy Powell and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband – warned it would be a mistake.
One backbencher described it to news agency PA as a ‘total sh*tshow’ and ‘utter nonsense’, while influential former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the NEC needed to ‘change course and make the right decision’.
Left-wing Labour MP Rachael Maskell told Metro she was ‘really concerned’ the decision would damage the party’s prospects at the May Scottish, Welsh and local elections.
Where does Burnham block leave Keir Starmer?
Metro’s Senior Political Reporter Craig Munro analyses the move:
Keir Starmer may have struggled to stand up to his backbench MPs a few times since entering No 10 – but he’s about to face his biggest test of leadership yet.
He had two options for how to handle Andy Burnham’s bid to re-enter the House of Commons, and both were almost certain to spell disaster.
So, the Prime Minister had a decision to make.
As a member of the NEC, it wouldn’t be hard for him to use his power to nip Burnham’s ambitions in the bud nice and early by blocking his application.
However, that would risk the ire of many left-wing MPs and unions who back the Mayor… and could leave Starmer looking weak and fearful of a strong leadership challenge.
There’s also an argument that it could risk handing the seat to Reform, who came in second place at the last election.
The ‘King of the North’ is, after all, the most popular Labour politician in the country according to YouGov. But that’s also what makes him such a threat.
If his candidacy had gone ahead and he had won, many believe he would ultimately launch a leadership challenge – and could win it, with previous polls suggesting Labour members vastly prefer him to Starmer.
Plus, a Burnham by-election victory would have meant another by-election would need to take place – this one for a new Mayor of Greater Manchester.
That could also have been a tricky one for Labour to win, and Reform taking power in the city would have been huge. Not to mention the expense of holding an election, which could run into the millions.
It looks like the NEC has opted for what they hope is short-term pain over a more drawn-out headache.
But watch to see what happens if Reform do take Gorton and Denton, and if Burnham decides there’s now nothing stopping him from becoming a true thorn in the side of the government.
The margin of victory for the vote today was 8-1, with only Powell voting in favour.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who abstained as she was chairing the ten-person panel, described Burnham as an ‘exceptional politician’ on Sky News this morning ahead of the decision.
A statement from the Labour Party following today’s judgement cited concerns over cost as the main reason for the outcome.
It said: ‘The NEC believes that causing an unnecessary election for the position of Greater Manchester Mayor would have a substantial and disproportionate impact on party campaign resources ahead of the local elections and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd in May.
‘Although the Party would be confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC could not put Labour’s control of Greater Manchester at any risk.’
The statement continued: ‘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.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
