Andy Burnham faces deadline on Gorton and Denton by-election decision
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has until 17:00 GMT on Saturday to decide whether he wants to stand in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
Winning the parliamentary seat will allow Burnham to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership.
But there are a few hurdles to overcome. Firstly, as a directly elected mayor, Burnham needs permission from Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to put his name forward as a candidate.
The BBC has been told that some of Sir Keir’s allies on the committee will try to stop him from standing; This could anger Labor MPs who support Burnham.
Former Labor Minister Burnham has not yet confirmed whether she will apply to run for the seat.
Asked about the vacancy in his Greater Manchester constituency on Thursday, he said he was “focused” on his job as mayor and warned people not to “jump to conclusions”.
Labor deputy leader Lucy Powell, who sits on the NEC, appeared to indicate her support for Burnham, telling a London audience that she wanted “the best candidate to be elected, the person who can best help Labor win the by-election”.
He called Burnham an “incredibly popular politician” and said she should “make up her own mind” about whether to run.
Powell, who represents the Manchester constituency, said Labor members should “get behind Keir Starmer” and added that he did not want the by-election to turn into “fighting and talking about ourselves”.
There was speculation that Sir Keir could face a leadership challenge after elections to the Welsh Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and many local councils in England in May, which is expected to be difficult for Labour.
Nearly 30 councils I chose Postponement of this year’s elections due to major restructuring in local government.
Opposition lawmakers criticized the delay and said it would potentially disenfranchise millions of voters.
To enter any leadership contest, Burnham, who has twice run for Labor leader, would have to become an MP.
He is expected to receive support from former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner. The BBC understands the man will tell Labour’s north-west regional conference that the NEC should not block Burnham’s application.
Although Rayner resigned from the government last year, he still has strong support among some MPs and members.
Several Labor sources said they believed the NEC would block Burnham’s application on the grounds that it would trigger a new election for Manchester mayor, which would be costly for both the party and taxpayers.
The last mayoral election cost the Greater Manchester Combined Authority approximately £4.7 million.
The NEC could also insist that there should be an all-female shortlist of possible Labor candidates for the by-election, as the majority of the party’s MPs are men.
The decision will be made not by the full committee but by 10 NEC officials, including Sir Keir, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, party deputy chair Powell and party chair Ellie Reeves. There are also representatives of the GMB and USDAW unions.
The committee will inform Burnham on Sunday what decision they have made.
The deadline for all candidates to apply to become Labour’s candidate is midnight on Sunday.
The Gorton and Denton area has long been a Labor safe seat and was won by 18,000 votes at the last election. Reform England came second with 5,000 votes, narrowly leaving the Green Party in third place.
Labor MPs are divided on whether they want Burnham to return to the House of Commons as an MP.
Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Wyre, said: “I think it would be disappointing if Number 10 prevented strong candidates from being considered by party members in Gorton and Denton.”
Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Middleton South, said: “As a Manchester MP I do not want to leave the back door open for Reform to take the mayoralty of Greater Manchester.
“I think this is very high risk. Midterm elections are a nightmare for candidates representing the current government. I don’t think Andy should take that risk.”
