Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has been given the green light by Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) to stand as a candidate in the forthcoming Makerfield by-election. The decision, confirmed on Friday, could see Burnham return to Westminster and potentially challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership.
The by-election was triggered after Josh Simons, a former ally of Sir Keir, stepped down as MP for the seat, a move widely seen as clearing a path for Burnham. The NEC had previously blocked Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton contest earlier this year, but faced intense pressure to allow him to run this time.
Wes Streeting, who resigned from the cabinet on Thursday citing a loss of confidence in the Prime Minister, has publicly backed Burnham's candidacy, stating that Labour needs "our best players on the pitch." However, allies of Streeting confirmed to The Independent that he would stand in any leadership contest. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has resolved her tax affairs with HMRC, removing a potential obstacle to a leadership bid, but has suggested she might back Burnham instead.
Burnham faces a tough fight against Reform UK, which came second in Makerfield at the last general election and won every council ward in the constituency in this month's local elections, securing around half the vote. Labour won just over a quarter. Despite this, Burnham's strong personal following in the North West, where he enjoys a net favourability rating of 24 per cent according to Ipsos, could prove decisive.
Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell appealed for support from the Fire Brigades Union, acknowledging the by-election would be "tough" against Reform. Simons, the outgoing MP, described the contest as "a really, really, really tough fight" and said he did not know what the result would be.
