Concerns grow within Labour that party chiefs could block the Greater Manchester mayor’s return to Parliament
Daily Telegraph 24/01/26
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned not to block Andy Burnham’s potential return to Parliament as a Labour MP or risk reprisals from his own backbenchers.
The Prime Minister’s supporters fear that Mr Burnham, who is considered to be one of the most popular figures in the Labour Party, could pose a future challenge to his leadership.
Andrew Gwynne, the suspended Labour MP, has confirmed he will step down from his Gordon and Denton seat, opening the door for the Greater Manchester mayor to seek a return to Westminster.
There is growing concern within Labour that the party’s National Executive Committee [NEC], which must approve candidates and is widely seen as supportive of Sir Keir’s leadership, could attempt to block Mr Burnham from standing.
In anticipation of Number 10’s plans to block the move, several high-profile Labour MPs have urged the NEC not to block his candidacy. Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, is also expected to back him on Saturday.
Cat Smith, a former frontbench Labour politician, has backed Mr Burnham, insisting that party members – not Labour HQ – should decide who stands in the forthcoming by-election.
Ms Smith said it would be “disappointing” if Number 10 “blocks strong candidates” from standing in the by-election.
Andrew Gwynne stepped down as an MP on Thursday opening the door for Mr Burnham to stand for the now vacant Gordon and Denton seat
Andrew Gwynne stepped down as an MP on Thursday, triggering a by-election for his Gordon and Denton seat
“Labour Party members are the people who should be deciding who the Labour candidate is for the by-election,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
Her comments were echoed by Gemma Bolton, a constituency members’ representative on the NEC, who said it would be “outrageous” to prevent Mr Burnham from being the by-election candidate in Gorton & Denton and “would show a real weakness in his [Starmer’s] leadership”.
Asked about whether she would like to see a leadership challenge, she told Newsnight: “It’s not looking positive and I do think that if things aren’t being seen to change, then I think that members, backbench MPs and the public will increasingly be saying, this isn’t good enough and we need a better path forward for our country.”
Mr Burham, who has repeatedly refused to rule out a leadership challenge, has until 5pm on Saturday to tell Labour if he wants to stand in the by-election.
Ms Smith added: “As a longstanding Labour Party member, I [believe that] we are a democratic party.
“And when it comes to selecting parliamentary candidates, by-election candidates, the rules of the Labour Party are that our party members in relevant constituencies are the decision makers.
“And I believe a strong Labour leadership would not be afraid of having [another] great Labour communicator in our Westminster team.
“And in the hypothetical situation where Andy Burnham wants to be considered to be the candidate in this by-election (...) then that would be an asset to the Labour party.
“I think Andy Burnham is an incredibly strong voice.”
On Friday night, allies of Sir Keir told The Telegraph that they plan to block Mr Burnham from becoming the Labour candidate.
In an interview with the BBC podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister, urged Labour politicians not to “rock the boat and blow it”.
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