Labour civil warfare erupts over Andy Burnham – as warnings fired at Keir Starmer
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham sought permission to quit his post to contest the Gorton by-election amid speculation he was preparing to challenge Keir Starmer
Andy Burnham said he was “disappointed” by the decision to bar him from standing in the upcoming Gorton by-election(Image: Getty Images)
Labour was plunged into open warfare after Andy Burnham was blocked from seeking a Commons comeback.
The Greater Manchester Mayor sought permission from top brass to quit his post to contest the Gorton and Denton by-election amid rampant speculation he was preparing to challenge Keir Starmer.
But a 10-strong panel of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted to block him by 8 to 1 in a meeting that lasted less than an hour, the Mirror understands. Only Deputy Leader Lucy Powell voted in favour of letting Mr Burnham run, while the PM personally opposed it.
A row erupted over the bombshell decision, with fuming MPs warning the PM looks “weak” and risks opening the door to Reform in Labour’s Greater Manchester stronghold. But others accused Mr Burnham of putting his own interests first and risking a costly mayoral contest as Labour faces make-or-break elections in Scotland, Wales and some English councils in May.
Tonight, Mr Burnham said he was “disappointed” by the decision and in a warning to party bosses, he said he was “concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us”. In a fiery postscript, he added: “The fact that the media was informed of the NEC decision before I was tells you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days. You would think that over 30 years of service would count for something but sadly not.”
A Labour source responded: “This is categorically not true.”
READ MORE: Andy Burnham breaks silence after Labour blocks him from by-election bid
Mr Burnham has made no secret of his leadership ambitions, and enraged the PM’s allies by derailing Labour conference last year with a blatant pitch for the top job. But ahead of the decision, a number of Labour big beasts said he should be allowed to run, including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, former Deputy PM Angela Rayner and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Supporters of the PM believe letting Mr Burnham run would saddle the taxpayer with the cost of a mayoral by-election and risked inviting further leadership speculation at a pivotal moment
A Labour source said: “The country voted for this Labour because it was totally fed up with 14 years of the Tories and their constant psychodrama, changing leaders and so on.” Another source insisted the NEC was simply acting in line with party rules.
One MP told the Mirror: “Of course the party can’t let him take the piss and cause a by-election like this. No matter who it is.”
Phil Brickell, the MP for Bolton West, said: “The last few days have seen the Labour Party quickly turn inward, spending more time talking about itself than about the country & undermining the PM’s efforts at home and abroad. As a Greater Manchester MP, that’s not what I came into politics for. And it’s not what my constituents want either.”
But others warned the decision could have calamitous consequences. One MP told the Mirror: “I think it’s appalling what the NEC has done. It makes Keir look weak. The party should not try to stop [Burnham], let the members decide. We believe in democracy.”
Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh called for the NEC to “change course and make the right decision”, adding: “Otherwise I think we’ll all come to regret this.”
Karl Turner, who has been an outspoken critic of the PM on plans to restrict jury trials, said: “It makes Keir look weak on the world, on the national stage as well, by trying to be seen to be trying to block somebody from standing on the basis he might challenge him as leader.”
He added: “If you look at the polling about leaders and potential political figures, Burnham out-polls everybody, including Farage and everybody else for that matter.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who chairs the NEC, earlier urged colleagues to “pull together” and said the public won’t forgive Labour for indulging in Tory-style psychodrama.
“My clear message to all of my colleagues, whoever they are, in Cabinet, elsewhere in the country, is we get to decide if we’re going to indulge in a psychodrama. I don’t want to,” she said. “I think that we should take Andy at his word – he has said himself that the best person to be prime minister is Keir Starmer.”
Labour said in a statement: “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. 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.”
The Gorton by-election was triggered after independent MP Andrew Gwynne announced his resignation from Parliament on health grounds. Mr Gwynne was sacked as a minister and had the Labour whip suspended last year after offensive WhatsApp messages emerged.
He won the seat for Labour in 2024 with 51% of the vote in 2024, but it could be a tough fight for the party due to lagging poll ratings and the threat from Reform and the Greens.
