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Andy Burnham has warned that Labour will lose the forthcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton after the party blocked the Greater Manchester mayor from standing as its candidate.
A panel of Labour’s National Executive Committee on Sunday barred Burnham from standing in the contest in the Manchester constituency, prompting anger from many MPs.
The party leadership argued that Labour could not afford the cost of campaigning for the by-election and a contest for a new Manchester mayor at a time when there are also crucial elections looming in Scotland, Wales and for English councils on May 7.
But many Labour backbenchers suggested that the machinations were designed primarily to shut down speculation about Burnham replacing Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader if he returned to the House of Commons.
The prime minister said on Monday that Burnham was doing a “great job” as Manchester mayor but allowing him to run for a Westminster seat would “divert our resources” from Labour’s other election campaigns.
Tom Baldwin, Starmer’s biographer, said on X that a Burnham return to Westminster would add to the party’s “inward-looking psychodrama”.
But Burnham replied on Sunday night, saying: “I’m not sure losing a by-election does us any good.”
Labour faces a tough battle with Reform UK and the Green Party in the Gorton and Denton seat, where former MP Andrew Gwynne stepped down on health grounds after a scandal.
Douglas Alexander, Scotland secretary, said on Monday morning that Burnham had signalled “very clearly his ambition to lead the Labour Party in the future” and it was important for colleagues to focus on the May elections.
“There would have been three months in all likelihood, in my judgment, of psychodrama, who’s up, who’s down, who is getting on with who, who is standing against who, would that have been in the best interests of the Labour Party? Honestly I don’t think it would have been,” Alexander told Times Radio.
Speaking at an education event hosted by the Centre for Social Justice on Monday, Burnham did not comment further on the NEC’s decision to block him.
“I’ve said everything I think I’m going to say about that today. I’m very much focusing on my job and I think I’m just going to leave it there if that’s OK, I’d rather just talk about what we’re doing on technical education in Greater Manchester.”
The 10-strong NEC panel voted eight to one against Burnham returning, with only deputy leader Lucy Powell supporting him. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood, chair of the NEC — herself another potential future leader — abstained. Starmer was one of those to vote no, according to members.
Burnham, who was an MP and Labour leadership candidate before he became Manchester mayor in 2017, has become increasingly critical of Starmer as the prime minister’s poll ratings have nosedived.
On Sunday, he criticised the way the media were told about the NEC ruling before he was, saying it “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 no.”
A letter to the prime minister objecting to the NEC’s decision was circulating among Labour MPs on Monday, with dozens expected to sign.
Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, told the BBC on Monday that “blocking our only senior Labour politician with a net positive popularity rating . . . is putting petty factional manoeuvring and settling personal scores above winning elections”.
Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, criticised the way that “10 people on a Zoom call” had blocked Burnham. “If we’re going to exclude people from standing as candidates because they have ambitions of a higher office to deliver for this country, then I’m afraid the benches will be just about empty.”
Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Middleton South, said he was “disappointed” by the decision. “I don’t think bureaucratic methods should be used to stop candidates,” he said. “It leads to resentment, it leads to anger and splits within the party, which works its way through the system and no good comes of it.”