Andy Burnham bombshell twist emerges to obliterate MP hopes

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he wanted to contest the Gorton & Denton by-election – but his bid for a Commons comeback was blocked by Labour’s ruling body

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Andy Burnham had signalled his intentions to contest the by-election in Gorton and Denton(Image: Getty Images)

Andy Burnham has been barred from standing in an upcoming by-election by Labour’s ruling body.

The Greater Manchester Mayor said on Saturday that he wanted to contest the seat of Gorton & Denton, which would offer him a path back to Westminster. But a core group of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which included Keir Starmer, voted today to block him by 8 to 1 in a meeting that lasted less than an hour, the Mirror understands. Only Deputy Leader Lucy Powell voted in favour of letting Mr Burnham run.

The move will trigger a war in Labour ranks between those who think Mr Burnham should have been allowed to stand and others infuriated by his thinly-veiled leadership manoeuvring. He has made no secret of his leadership ambitions, and enraged Mr Starmer’s allies by derailing Labour conference last year with a blatant pitch for the top job.

But a number of Labour big beasts spoke out ahead of the decision to say Mr Burnham should be allowed to stand, including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Deputy Leader Lucy Powell. Former Deputy PM Angela Rayner and London Mayor Sadiq Khan both also warned against blocking him.

READ MORE: Major update on Andy Burnham by-election bid delivered by Labour chiefREAD MORE: Andy Burnham’s bombshell announcement as he issues three-word message

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Keir Starmer is believed to have opposed letting Andy Burnham run in a by-election(Image: PA)

Critics have cited the cost of staging a by-election to replace Mr Burnham as Greater Manchester Mayor, and said Labour needed to plough all its resources into fighting the Gorton by-election ahead of critical elections in Scotland, Wales and local councils in England.

Labour said in a statement: “The NEC has decided not to grant Andy Burnham permission to stand. The NEC believes that causing an unnecessary election for the position of Greater Manchester Mayor would have a substantial and disproportionate impact on party campaign resources ahead of the local elections and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd in May.

“Although the Party would be confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC could not put Labour’s control of Greater Manchester at any risk. Andy Burnham is doing a great job as Mayor of Greater Manchester. We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary Mayoral election which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost of living crisis.

“We look forward to fighting and winning the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton and the positive campaign ahead which will be firmly focussed on tackling the cost of living and bringing investment to the local area.”

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who chairs the NEC, earlier urged colleagues to “pull together” and said the public won’t forgive Labour for indulging in Tory-style psychodrama. She said: “I don’t think the country will forgive us if we end up doing exactly the same as the Conservative Party. So my clear message to all colleagues everywhere is just calm down.”

The by-election was triggered after MP Andrew Gwynne announced his resignation from Parliament on health grounds. Mr Gwynne was sacked as a minister and had the Labour whip suspended last year after offensive WhatsApp messages emerged.

He won the seat for Labour in 2024 with 51% of the vote in 2024, but it could be a tough fight for the party due to lagging poll ratings and the rise of both Reform UK and the Green Party.