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Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, has officially blocked Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham from standing in the upcoming by-election in the Gorton and Denton constituency.
This decision was confirmed on 26 January by Labour’s decision making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), of which Starmer is a member. The resolution followed reports that Burnham was considering stepping down as mayor in order to return to Westminster as a Labour MP.
Burnham previously held several senior ministerial positions, including Secretary of State for Health in the late 2000s, before deciding to step away from the House of Commons to become Mayor of Greater Manchester. With his third consecutive win in May 2024, Burnham’s reign over the famously Labour dominated county has been time-honoured, with nary an opposition coming close to the job since his first win in 2017.
As a result, it is no surprise that Burnham is widely viewed as a contender for the throne in Starmer’s Labour Party. Starmer, who acquired leadership after Jermey Corbyn resigned, has maintained this role since April 2020. Critics therefore suggest that concerns over engaging in a duel over his long-established Labour leadership is the true rationale behind the decision to swiftly curtail Burnham’s bid to run as MP.
Nonetheless, Starmer and the NEC have defended their stance by arguing that triggering an avoidable by-election would be both economically and politically disadvantageous for the entire Party. Stating that the utilisation of Party resources on running campaigns for “elections that we don’t have to have” is a waste of time and money, which would be better implemented tackling the cost of living crisis across the country. Starmer affirms that such a decision aligns with recent changes to Labour Party rules, that stipulate a presumption against holding unnecessary elections.
For now the decision appears to be final but the political fallout remains to be seen as a new Starmer contender already arising, the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting. It seems that there is trouble in paradise within the Labour Party, and the desire for a new leader is becoming hard to ignore.