Burnham v Starmer The battle for Labour

By-election bid reignites fears popular politician may challenge the PM

- BY ALEXANDER BROWN Assistant Political Editor

ANDY Burnham has announced he intends to run for a parliamentary seat amid fears the popular politician could one day challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.

The Greater Manchester Mayor said he had applied yesterday to Labour's National Executive Committee for permission to seek selection for the Gorton and Denton by-election.

But supporters of the Prime Minister are reportedly mobilising to prevent him from becoming a candidate.

Andrew Gwynne, the current MP, announced last week he was quitting the Manchester seat for health reasons. He was sacked as a minister and suspended from Labour last year over offensive messages in a WhatsApp group named Trigger Me Timbers.

In his letter to Labour's governing body, Mr Burnham stressed he was hoping to back the government from the Commons, "not undermine it".

He said: "I have come to the conclusion that this is the moment to mount the strongest possible defence of what we stand for and what we have built in this city over many generations.

"Manchester inspires because it is a place that has always stood for the equality of all, right back to the cotton workers of 1862 who refused to handle slave-picked cotton.