Row erupts within UK’s governing Labour Party after popular mayor blocked from upcoming election
A row erupted within Britain’s ruling Labor Party on Sunday after Manchester’s ambitious mayor was blocked from trying to re-enter Parliament in a special election in the city in coming weeks; critics claimed Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not want to see a potential rival in the House of Commons.
Andy Burnham, who has been responsible for the Greater Manchester region since 2017, made a request to Labour’s executive committee on Saturday to stand as the party’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton constituency, which is expected to happen at the end of February.
If he wins the election in a traditionally safe Labor seat he would have to stand down as mayor, meaning another special election would likely have to be held there. Burnham’s term ends in May 2028.
The decision to block Burnham was taken by a group of 10 members of Labour’s National Executive Committee, the body behind the party’s election machinery.
Labor said the NEC had decided to refuse Burnham permission to stand to prevent an “unnecessary election” for the mayoralty of Manchester, which would have “a significant and disproportionate impact on the party’s campaign resources”.
Labor is predicted to suffer a major defeat in a series of elections in May; This is the UK’s equivalent of the US midterm elections. If current opinion polls are any guide, Labor is expected to lose power in Wales for the first time since the legislature was formed in 1999, fall short of regaining power in Scotland and suffer a blow in local elections in England.
Labor has suffered a decline in poll ratings since winning the general election in July 2024 by a landslide, partly due to a series of policy missteps directly linked to Starmer’s decision-making.
Other parties, including the anti-immigration Reform Party and the Greens, have been the biggest beneficiaries of the decline in Labour’s apparent support.
The Prime Minister’s poll results are very poor at the moment and many within the party think she could be in trouble if May’s election turns out as badly as predicted.
Burnham, who served in Labor governments under prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in the 2000s, has made no secret of his desire to lead the party at some stage in the future. Burnham, widely known as the “King in the North” in reference to the fantasy television show Game of Thrones, has twice previously fought and lost for the Labor leadership.
Although Burnham insisted he would be a team player in his request on Saturday, many of Starmer’s allies appear unconvinced, given he has expressed a range of views that put him at odds with the prime minister, particularly on economic policy. Last September he said he wanted to “start a debate” on the direction of policy and how to defeat the Reformation.
Labor MP John Slinger said the “swift and clear decision” meant the party could “let go of the damaging, introspective and psychodrama of last week” and “come together” behind the final candidate.
Others were stunned by the decision and called it representative.
Former Cabinet Minister Louise Haigh said the decision was “incredibly disappointing” and called on the NEC to “change course and make the right decision”.
