The question of whether Andy Burnham should be allowed to stand for Parliament ‘should be up to Andy and the local members’, Labour‘s deputy leader has said.
Speaking at the Fabian Society’s annual conference in London, Lucy Powell did not explicitly call for Mr Burnham to stand for the seat, saying he would have to make up his own mind.
The Greater Manchester mayor, who has been pipped as a potential rival to Sir Keir’s leadership, has until 5pm today to decide if he wants to contest the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
Mr Burnham, who is widely believed to have ambitions to lead the party, is yet to comment on whether he intends to stand.
But if he does put himself forward, he will have to apply to Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) for permission to do so.
Reports have suggested that supporters of the Prime Minister on the NEC may seek to block his candidacy, either out of fear it would destabilise the Government or to prevent another by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty.
Meanwhile, several figures within the party have called for Mr Burnham to be allowed to stand, with Angela Rayner expected to join them later on Saturday.
In London, Ms Powell said she wanted to see ‘the very best candidate’ selected, and described Mr Burnham as ‘incredibly popular’.
Angela Rayner pictured canvassing in Birmingham with Labour mayor Andy Burnham in May last year
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Lucy Powell speaking at the Fabian Society 2026 New Year Conference at the Guildhall
Asked whether that meant Labour’s national executive committee should allow Mr Burnham to stand, she said: ‘He has got to make up his own mind what he wants to do and he has got until five o’clock today.
‘Andy Burnham is incredibly popular in my part of the world.
‘He is an incredibly popular politician because he is really changing our city for the better.’
She added: ‘I think we should all come together and really celebrate where Labour is doing some great work.
‘So, it should be up to Andy and the local members who will select their candidate, and our members are very discerning.’
Andrew Gwynne, the former MP for Gorton and Denton, formally quit the job on Friday due to health concerns, paving the way for a by-election to take place.
Applicants to replace him must put their name forward before midnight on Sunday.
Mr Burnham faces numerous hurdles to fight the seat, including having to stand down from his current role, being approved by the NEC and seeing off Reform UK.
While Labour won the Gorton and Denton seat with 51 per cent in 2024, it is now a three-way marginal.
Reform has vowed to ‘throw everything’ at the seat, and Green Party leader Zack Polanski is said to be eyeing it, introducing another curveball that could split the Left-wing vote.
On Friday, health minister Stephen Kinnock said Mr Burnham was doing a good job as mayor, with the thinly-veiled suggestion that he should stay in that post.
And deputy PM David Lammy also warned that the party did not want another leader because it would result in an election.
Mr Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, was the MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017, and has stood for the Labour leadership on two occasions.