Explainer: Why has Labour blocked Andy Burnham from standing as an MP?
Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as an MP in the Gorton and Denton byelection due to concerns about the cost of fighting a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester.
Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) made the decision on Sunday morning through a 10-member sub-group chaired by Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood.
Many senior figures had initially called for local members to have the final say on whether the mayor of Greater Manchester would run. NEC deputy leader Lucy Powell and cabinet minister Ed Miliband told a conference in London on Saturday that the decision should be left to members.
Mr Burnham has long been seen as a potential rival to Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, with rumors circulating last year that he would return to Westminster to challenge the prime minister.
Sources at the NEC said there was a “very clear majority” against Mr Burnham applying for the seat and the party insisted he had “done a fantastic job as mayor of Greater Manchester”.
What did the Labor Party say?
Labor confirmed their decision to reject the Greater Manchester mayoral position in a statement, insisting they were motivated to avoid “an unnecessary election for the Greater Manchester mayoral position”.
In a statement, the party said: “Directly elected mayors, police and crime commissioners must obtain the express permission of Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, before being nominated as a Labor candidate for the Westminster parliament in accordance with Chapter 5, Clause IV, 2 of the Labor Party Rulebook. This rule was introduced to prevent the party from bearing the unnecessary costs of running two simultaneous political campaigns.”
“Yesterday Andy Burnham asked the NEC for such permission to stand in the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election, which would lead to a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester. The NEC has decided not to give Andy Burnham permission to stand.”
The group said it would be better off allocating resources to the upcoming local elections, where Reform UK poses a major risk to Labor seats, despite the party’s confidence in retaining the mayoralty in Greater Manchester.
He added: “The NEC believes that provoking an unnecessary election for the position of mayor of Greater Manchester would have a significant and disproportionate impact on the party’s campaign resources ahead of local and Scottish parliament and Welsh Senedd elections in May. “Although the party is confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC cannot put Labour’s control of Greater Manchester at any risk.
“Andy Burnham is doing a fantastic job as mayor of Greater Manchester. We believe it is in the party’s interests to avoid an unnecessary mayoral election that would waste significant amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources better spent tackling the crisis.
“We look forward to fighting and winning the upcoming by-elections in Gorton and Denton and the positive campaign that will focus on tackling the cost of living and bringing investment to the local area.”
What do Labor MPs say?
Mr Burnham has long been seen as a leadership rival to Sir Keir and there was speculation last year that he might make a bid to return to Westminster. His return to Parliament has the support of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, who described him as a “huge asset”, and reportedly Angela Rayner.
Labor MP Richard Burgon called for an “urgent meeting of the NEC”, accusing the party leadership of being prepared to lose a by-election to protect “factional interests”.
Mr Burgon, secretary of the Socialist Campaign MPs Group, said: “Keir Starmer and his clique have shown they are prepared to lose Gorton and Denton to Reform just to protect narrow factional interests.
“This is poor leadership and will only deepen the party’s crisis. An urgent NEC meeting must now be held to resolve this mess.”
Former cabinet minister Louise Haigh said the decision was “incredibly disappointing” and called on the NEC to “change course and make the right decision”.
He told PA: “Otherwise I think we’ll all regret it.”
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Business Minister Steve Reed defended the decision to block Mr Burnham from running for mayor in Gorton and Denton, saying he has two more years to serve as mayor.
“Voters don’t like mid-term elections. In Greater Manchester people voted overwhelmingly for Andy Burnham to be mayor for a four-year term two years ago,” he told the BBC.
“In a democracy, politicians are elected to serve one term. The mayor of Greater Manchester was elected for a four-year term. He is now halfway through that term.
“That’s why we won’t go back and ask the people of Greater Manchester, who have over two million voting rights, to elect someone else to fill the next two mandates. [years]because we can choose a different candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election and we will defend the Labor government.”
