Andy Burnham edges nearer to showdown with Starmer as he passes first hurdle
On Friday Labour’s powerful National Executive Committee (NEC) ruled that Andy Burnham would not be blocked from standing in the Makerfield by-election as leadership speculation swirls in Westminster
Andy Burnham will not be blocked from standing in the by-election(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Andy Burnham’s gamble to get back into Parliament has edged closer after Labour chiefs decided not to block his latest bid.
Members of the powerful National Executive Council (NEC) ruled the Greater Manchester Mayor will not be barred a second time this year. He has put himself forward as a candidate in Makerfield after backbencher Josh Simons announced he was stepping down, forcing a by-election.
Mr Burnham is widely expected to mount a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer if he successfully wins the seat. He was boosted on Friday when rival Wes Streeting called for him to be selected as the party’s candidate in the make-or-break contest.
A Labour Party spokesman said: “Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency.”
A final decision on who will contest the by-election for Labour is expected next Thursday. Meanwhile allies of Mr Streeting, who quit as Health Secretary on Thursday, confirmed to The Mirror that he will definitely stand if a Labour leadership contest is triggered.
On Friday his former ministerial aide, Rosie Wrighting, resigned her Government role, piling gushing praise on her old boss. She wrote: “Wes is a generational talent and it is with his leadership that we’ve seen the NHS on the road to recovery.”
But No10 insisted Keir Starmer is going nowhere, with a Downing Street spokeswoman telling reporters: “The PM is very much focused on governing and getting on with the job.”
The Prime Minister visited the Met Police Command and Control Special Operations Room ahead of planned protests in the capital on Saturday. He said of a Tommy Robinson-organised demonstration in central London: “We’re in a fight for the soul of this country, and the Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against. Its organisers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple.”
But he did not take any questions from reporters as speculation about his leadership continued to swirl. Mr Burnham was pictured jogging outside his home on Friday afternoon after a frenzied week which saw the PM’s position become increasingly perilous.
More than 80 MPs have called for him to go after disastrous electon results in England, Scotland and Wales last week. And Mr Streeting was among five ministers – also including Jess Phillips, Zubir Ahmed, Alex Davies-Jones and Miatta Fahnbulleh – to step down calling for new leadership.
Mr Starmer faced an outcry after the NEC blocked Mr Burnham – nicknamed the King of the North – from standing in the nearby Gorton and Denton by-election in February. Labour ended up in third place behind the Green Party and Reform.
Mr Streeting wrote on Friday: “We need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them.
“The Makerfield by-election will be tough. Votes will need to be earned. Andy is the best chance of winning and that should override factional advantage or propping up one person.”
Nigel Farage has said Reform UK will “throw absolutely everything” at the by-election, where it made huge gains in this month’s local elections. Polling guru Sir John Curtice warned winning the seat – which had a 5,000 majority in 2024 – will not be easy, and failure could scupper Mr Burnham’s ambitions for good.
He said: “He’s basically putting his political career on the line. To be able to win this by-election will mean he will have to effectively try and defy the electoral gravity as it is at the moment.”
According to pollster Ipsos, Mr Burnham has a net favourability of 24% across the North West – higher than any party leaders. But Mr Simons, who only became an MP in 2024, admitted retaining the seat for Labour would be a challenge.
The outgoing MP, a former Cabinet Office minister, said: “Sometimes in history, when people take risks and they say, `I think this is the right fight to have, but I don’t know if we’re going to win it’, that’s what changes the story. That’s what changes the course of things.”
