Keir Starmer advised ‘think about your place’ after ‘disgusting determination’ in Labour mutiny
The Prime Minister is facing a deepening mutiny after Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham was blocked from contesting a by-election which many said was his pathway to launching a leadership bid
Keir Starmer is under pressure(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Keir Starmer has been told to “consider your position” by a Labour MP as a deepening mutiny threatens his job. The Prime Minister has been heavily criticised by his own party after Andy Burnham was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
A total of 80 Labour MPs – enough to trigger a leadership challenge – are understood to have signed a private letter slamming Starmer for blocking Burnham’s pathway back to the House of Commons. The Mayor of Greater Manchester is seen as a leadership contender and many believed he would challenge Sir Keir’s leadership upon his to parliament.
Downing Street has arranged the by-election to take place on the earliest possible date – February 26. Many have suggested they made this move to avoid a months-long campaign they are unlikely to win, according to the polls.
Labour backbencher Kim Johnson told Times Radio: “This just plays into the level of factionalism that has been inherent in this party for too long and it has to stop. And Keir Starmer now needs to consider his own position as leader of this party.”
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell also had a message for Sir Keir: “Do not underestimate the depth of anger people will feel about this disgusting decision. If you think it strengthens you, I tell you it will simply hasten your demise.
“You could have shown magnanimous leadership but instead it’s cowardice.”
On Sunday, Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) told the Press Association there had been a “very clear majority” against allowing Burnham from applying for selection in the seat due to concerns about the cost of fighting a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester.
Announcing his decision to stand on Saturday, Burnham said the by-election was “the front line” of a fight against “a brand of politics which seeks to pit people against each other”.
He said: “I owe it to a city which has given me so much to lead it from the front, despite the risks involved.”
The decision was made by a 10-strong sub-group of the NEC, chaired by the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Sunday morning. They included deputy leader Lucy Powell, herself an NEC member, and Cabinet minister Ed Miliband, who had both told a conference in London on Saturday that the decision should be left to members.
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