Burnham traps Starmer with bid to return as MP

Andy Burnham has confirmed he is seeking to stand for Labour in the Gorton and Denton by-election, paving the way for a return to parliament and a potential leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.

- KATE DEVLIN WHITEHALL EDITOR

The mayor of Greater Manchester said the decision had been “difficult”, but now was “the moment to mount the strongest possible defence” of Labour’s values as he asked for permission to stand from the party’s powerful ruling body, the national executive committee (NEC), whose membership includes many Starmer loyalists.

In a letter to the NEC released yesterday as the 5pm deadline to apply passed, he pledged to support the government, “not undermine it” and said he had passed that assurance on to the prime minister.

But there is a growing civil war within the party over his future, and senior Labour figures have lined up to insist the mayor, who one MP described as a “super sub”, should not be blocked from standing.

The Independent has been told that MPs have warned the party that Sir Keir could face a leadership vote if he moves to stop Mr Burnham from standing, while supporters said it would be “outrageous” and show that “nasty factionalism” was more important than beating Nigel Farage’s Reform in the seat.

A Commons comeback for Mr Burnham, who has long been viewed as a potential rival to the prime minister, will add to the growing pressure on the beleaguered PM as Labour languishes behind Reform in the polls.

Burnham is currently the mayor of Greater Manchester (PA)

In his letter, Mr Burnham said he was standing after giving “careful thought to what is in the best interests of our party and the city region I represent”.

Without namechecking Reform, which came second in the seat at the last election, he said there was now “a direct threat to everything Greater Manchester has always been about from a brand of politics which seeks to pit people against each other”.