The Labour Party’s NEC has issued a formal ruling on whether Mr Burnham can put himself forward
Andy Burnham has been told whether he can stand in the upcoming by-election (Image: Getty)
The Labour Party has blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, a bombshell move that is set to spark the most furious civil war within the party since the general election.
The news broke after the party’s National Executive Committee convened this morning for a make-or-break meeting to decide Mr Burnham’s fate.
The meeting, which lasted just under an hour, saw the panel of Keir Starmer loyalists vote in favour of blocking Mr Burnham from applying for the Labour candidacy.
The small clique insists that the refusal is down to fears about the cost of having to hold a by-election for Metro Mayor of Manchester should Mr Burnham be permitted to stand for parliament, a by-election Reform UK could win.
An NEC source told the Express that Keir Starmer personally led the charge to shoot down Mr Burnham’s MP ambitions, speaking first and voting against letting his prime rival return to Westminster.
Keir Starmer faces a huge threat from Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
The source said: “Keir was there and led from the front. He took up the mantel and even the most sceptical about Keir were very impressed.
“The Prime Minister argued that we couldn’t risk a by-election in Greater Manchester [for mayor], and that the psychodrama from the last 48 hours had not been helpful.”
While Sir Keir repeated that Mr Burnham was a “great mayor doing a great job”, he barely addressed him by name for the remainder of his remarks.
Opponents of Keir Starmer are set to accuse the party’s leadership of blocking Mr Burnham over fears he will launch a leadership coup against the historically unpopular Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham’s dreams of returning to Westminster were crushed by a landslide vote of 8-1, as the NEC wielded Keir Starmer’s authority to protect the Prime Minister.
The only member of the committee to vote in favour of Mr Burnahm was Lucy Powell, the elected deputy leader of the party and a fellow Mancunian. NEC chair Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, did not cast a vote.
The NEC source said that Ms Powell argued that Mr Burnham was the “best person to win” the Gorton and Denton seat, though added she was clearly “uncomfortable” given her isolation in the room.
While Sir Keir may breathe a sigh of relief at the outcome, the news is set to spark a furious civil war within the party, after days of Labour MPs warning the Prime Minister not to block Mr Burnham.
The by-election will now also expose the Prime Minister to another defeat at the hands of Reform UK and Nigel Farage, with polls suggesting the insurgent right-wing party is set to take the seat without the star power that Mr Burnham could have brought to the fight.
This morning Ms Mahmood praised Mr Burnham as an “exceptional politician”, and said she was taking him at his word when promising he would use his role in parliament to support, not undermine, the Prime Minister.
She told Sky News: “I always think we should have all of our best players making their contribution to the Labour Government.”
Deputy leader Lucy Powell was the only NEC member to vote in favour of Mr Burnham standing (Image: Getty)
On Saturday evening Mr Burnham confirmed he was seeking the right to stand in the by-election, appearing to warn Sir Keir that it could be lost without his local popularity.
Mr Burnham wrote that the by-election would be the “front line” of a fight against “a brand of politics which seeks to pit people against each other”.
Labour won the Gorton and Denton constituency in 2024 with 51% of the vote, but it’s now forecast by polling experts that Reform would secure a comfortable win of six points over Labour’s candidate.
Nigel Farage is eyeing up 32% of the vote, to Labour’s 26% and the Green Party’s 22%.
However Britain Predicts found that with Mr Burnham as Labour’s candidate, he would beat Reform with a lead of four points.
Responding to the news, Reform UK’s Nadhim Zahawi, the former Chancellor, branded Sir Keir Starmer a “weak” and “imploding” Prime Minister.
Rosie Duffield, the Canterbury MP elected for Labour in 2024, said: “Of course Starmer loyalists have blocked Andy Burnham. He’s popular and an effective leader, which just further highlights how loathed and weak Sir Keir is. End days for this administration now…”
