Starmer faces pressure not to block Andy Burnham’s return to parliament | Andy Burnham
Keir Starmer faces growing pressure not to block Andy Burnham from returning to parliament, while Angela Rayner plans to ask No 10 to let her stand in the upcoming by-elections.
The Prime Minister’s allies are trying to prevent Burnham from returning as a candidate for the Greater Manchester seat of Gorton and Denton, amid fears she could challenge the leadership.
But a number of Labor MPs and the boss of Unison, Britain’s largest union, warned on Friday that the party must ensure a democratic process and avoid a rupture.
Rayner, the former Labor deputy leader, is understood to support Burnham staying on if she wants to and is expected to argue she should be given the go-ahead when she speaks to Labour’s north-west regional conference on Saturday.
The timetable for candidates to decide is extremely tight, with applications opening at 5pm on Friday, a 24-hour deadline to obtain permission from the national executive committee (NEC), and applications closing shortly before midnight on Sunday. The candidate will be determined within a week.
Burnham has not confirmed she plans to run for the seat but has made no secret of her ambitions. He said many MPs had urged him to run for the Labor leadership ahead of the party’s conference last year, sparking anger within No 10 and among cabinet ministers.
If he were to run, he would have to give up the mayoralty of Greater Manchester. Manchester city council leader Bev Craig is another potential Labor candidate believed to be favored by Starmer’s allies.
Reports on Friday suggested Burnham could seek to nominate a high-profile figure such as footballer Gary Neville as the Labor candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester if he steps down for the Westminster seat.
The by-election is shaping up to be a hotly contested race, with Green Party leader Zack Polanski not ruling himself out and hinting former independent MP and Labor leader George Galloway could also survive. Reform UK may also have a chance, with possible candidates such as policy chief Zia Yusuf or a former Tory MP such as Jonathan Gullis.
The contest was triggered by the resignation of independent MP Andrew Gwynne on medical grounds, fueling speculation that Burnham could be in parliament in time to counter any potential leadership challenge to Starmer if May’s local elections turn out disastrous for Labour.
The Guardian reported on Thursday that Starmer’s allies were trying to block Burnham’s return. Members of the party’s ruling national executive committee predicted it would be impossible for Burnham to get through the selection process given the number of Starmer loyalists.
But Unison’s new general secretary, Andrea Egan, warned against a “control frenzy” in the party. He said on X: “I’m sure all unionists are looking forward to a democratic process for Gorton & Denton, where local party members will decide who they want to represent them.”
“We have seen enough control madness in the Labor Party and it has done nothing but harm to our movement.”
Leading MP Jo White, who runs Labour’s so-called red wall group of MPs, said: “Let the north decide who the Labor candidate will be in the Gorton and Denton byelection. A stitch-up in London would be disastrous for Labour.”
A northern backbencher said it wasn’t just a group of left-wing MPs who hoped Burnham would return to Westminster. “A few of us think it would be a sign of weakness for the Prime Minister to block himself through the NEC.”
They added that Burnham would be the central candidate if the speculations that Yusuf and Polanski could survive come true. “I wouldn’t want to see him challenge for the leadership this year, but I think we need stronger representation of the north in government.”
Health secretary Stephen Kinnock insisted the process would be the same as any other selection of candidates, despite rumors it could be limited to an all-female or all-black, Asian and ethnic minority shortlist. He said Burnham was “doing a fantastic job in the role she currently has” and was “an incredibly capable and effective leader as mayor of Greater Manchester”.
Burnham’s allies have suggested there would be serious unrest among MPs, unions and party members if the leadership tried to prevent Burnham returning to parliament, where she served as MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017.
It has long been believed that he wanted to return to parliament to represent the leadership in the event of a challenge to Starmer, but he was thought to have limited options for the by-election in England’s north-west.
Labor won the seat in 2024 with a majority of 13,413 under Gwynne, who was later suspended from the party. Reform and the Greens were in second and third place, almost neck and neck, with 14% and 13% of the vote respectively.
