Allies of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are using the Peter Mandelson controversy to push for his return to Westminster as a Labour MP, according to reports. Sir Keir Starmer previously blocked Burnham from standing as Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election via the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The Prime Minister’s position has been weakened by revelations that Mandelson failed the vetting process before being appointed UK ambassador to Washington. Sir Keir’s authority is expected to suffer further if Labour performs poorly in the May 7 local elections.
Burnham’s supporters hope the Prime Minister could lose his majority on the NEC, opening a path for the former Health Secretary to become a parliamentary candidate. As an MP, Burnham would be well placed to challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership.
Other backers insist Burnham is focused on his mayoral role and not engaging in speculation. However, reports of meetings between Burnham and former Deputy Leader Angela Rayner have fuelled talk of a joint challenge to Sir Keir.
Sir Keir has said he was not informed by former Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins that security advice on Mandelson had been overruled, describing the failure as “staggering”. One Labour MP told the Financial Times: “There is a whole slate of NEC posts up for grabs in the autumn and you’ll see a shift to the Left and away from Starmer loyalists, and after that, it’ll be harder to stop Burnham coming back to Westminster.”
