Labour cannot win whether or not it lets Burnham stand

It is possible for both Andy Burnham and Keir Starmer to be right about the mathematics of the Greater Manchester mayor standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

- DAVID MADDOX

Burnham is completely correct that he - of all the possible Labour candidates in what could be a crucial by-election – stands the best chance of winning. The polling suggests that without him, Nigel Farage's Reform UK wins by six points - and that with Burnham as the candidate, Labour wins by four.

The last thing Labour needs is another Reform MP in the North West to join Runcorn's Sarah Pochin, the last beneficiary of a by-election forced by a disgraced Labour MP from the region standing down.