Burnham's Westminster Ambition Thwarted as Starmer Blocks Byelection Bid
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has not abandoned his aspirations to return to Westminster, according to close allies, but would require assurances that Labour leader Keir Starmer would not obstruct his path again before making another attempt. However, the mayor's prospects for an imminent parliamentary comeback appear increasingly remote, with sources from Number 10 indicating that relations between the two prominent Labour figures have deteriorated significantly, diminishing hopes for any swift reconciliation.
Byelection Blockage Triggers Internal Backlash
As the Labour leadership attempted to manage growing discontent, Starmer personally defended the controversial decision to prevent Burnham from contesting the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection next month. This move has provoked substantial backlash against the prime minister from within his own party ranks, exposing deep-seated tensions and strategic disagreements.
Starmer is understood to have proposed an alternative arrangement, offering to support Burnham's candidacy for a different northwest England constituency in 2027, closer to the conclusion of his mayoral term. This timing would coincide with anticipated changes to the voting system that could benefit Labour, while allowing the party to arrange a suitable replacement for the Greater Manchester mayoral position.
However, this compromise proposal was not accepted, and allies of the prime minister have since suggested that Burnham's publicly expressed anger over being blocked might have permanently damaged the possibility of even a tentative agreement materialising.
"Once You've Reached the Conclusion"
One ally of the Greater Manchester mayor revealed: "Andy had thought deeply about all of this and once you've reached the conclusion you want to come back, you don't change your mind. But he will be feeling bruised and disappointed, and you're not going to put yourself through it again unless you're confident of a different reaction."
A second Burnham supporter argued that Labour MPs should have mounted a stronger campaign to secure his place on the ticket for the Gorton and Denton by-election, warning that maintaining the current trajectory could lead to electoral catastrophe. "The parliamentary Labour party does not yet feel a burning sense of the existential threat to the party. It's now more likely that any change will be in the wrong direction or insufficiently radical," they cautioned.
Internal Dissent and Warning Letters
A letter circulating among soft-left Labour backbenchers has characterised the decision to block Burnham as "a gift" to Nigel Farage and Reform UK, while describing a potential byelection loss as "unimaginable." This correspondence emerged after Burnham himself appeared to predict that Labour would indeed lose the forthcoming contest.
The executive committee of the soft-left Tribune group of MPs, which includes former ministers Louise Haigh and Justin Madders alongside select committee chair Sarah Owen, has formally expressed concern about the Burnham decision to Shabana Mahmood, chair of Labour's national executive committee.
As candidate interviews for the Gorton and Denton seat commenced on Tuesday, many Burnham allies have reluctantly acknowledged that their hopes of seeing him contest the constituency have been definitively dashed.
Starmer's Justification and Party Management
Starmer explained on Monday that he and fellow NEC officers decided against allowing Burnham to resign as Greater Manchester mayor to avoid triggering an unnecessary and costly mayoral election. "Andy Burnham's doing a great job as the mayor of Manchester, but having an election for the mayor of Manchester when it's not necessary would divert our resources away from the elections that we must have, that we must fight and win," he stated.
"Resources, whether that's money or people, need to be focused on the elections that we must have, not elections that we don't have to have. And that was the basis of the NEC decision," the prime minister added, addressing the ongoing turmoil within his party.
Starmer emphasised unity, declaring: "Yes, there is a fight, but that fight is with Reform and we all need to line up together to be in that fight, all playing our part. I think that everybody in the Labour party, everybody who's a Labour MP, wants to be in that fight, wants to fight alongside all their colleagues in a fight that matters hugely to the future of our country."
Shoring Up Support Amid International Travel
Allies of the prime minister have been working to consolidate support following several turbulent days, coinciding with Starmer's departure for diplomatic visits to China and Japan for the remainder of the week.
Richard Hermer, the attorney general and a close friend of Starmer, addressed a regular private meeting of MPs, stating: "What we are achieving as a government is radical, deeply principled and nothing short of an attempt to rework the state, so it is fairer and more equal for all."
"I do not for one minute underestimate the political challenge we face. Or how many people do not trust politicians and will not do so until they can at least feel we are making a difference," Hermer continued. "But nor do I underestimate this party, and my passionate belief that as our policies take hold, we will change this country for the better and for the long term."
He added personal endorsement: "I can say with all honesty that Keir was the most able and principled lawyer of his generation and his belief in public service is every bit as strong today as it was then."
Mixed Reactions and Football Humour
Reactions among Labour MPs have been decidedly mixed. One typically loyal parliamentarian remarked: "Everybody was in a massive grump before Christmas and now they've come back and nothing has got any better. Keir has used an opportunity to demonstrate strength, and instead demonstrated weakness."
Burnham expressed his "disappointment" with the decision on Sunday, pledging to support whoever is ultimately selected to contest the seat recently vacated by Andrew Gwynne. In a social media post on Monday evening, he attempted to inject humour into the situation, referencing his football allegiance ahead of an Everton match against Leeds: "Given the weekend I've had it feels very much like a Dominic Calvert-Lewin hat-trick is now incoming."
Practical Implications and Resource Concerns
Had Burnham been selected for the Gorton and Denton seat, he would have been required to relinquish his Greater Manchester mayoral position less than halfway through his four-year term, inevitably triggering a separate byelection for that role.
A Labour statement released on Sunday justified the decision by explaining that such a scenario "would have a substantial and disproportionate impact on party campaign resources ahead of the local elections and elections to the Scottish parliament and Welsh Senedd in May."
This rationale has failed to quell anger among numerous Labour MPs, including some who are not natural Burnham allies, with one critic condemning what they termed "petty factionalism." Several of Labour's trade union backers have also voiced criticism of the move, indicating broader discontent within the party's traditional support base.
