Starmer Under Fire as Burnham Blockade Sparks Labour Civil War
Pressure on Labour leader Keir Starmer intensified dramatically last night as the backlash to his controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in a crucial by-election continued to escalate. The growing rebellion threatens to destabilise Starmer's leadership at a critical juncture for the party.
MPs Revolt as Calls for Starmer to 'Consider His Position' Emerge
One Labour MP broke ranks to publicly demand that the Prime Minister should 'consider his position', while more than fifty parliamentarians have reportedly put their names to a private letter sharply critical of Starmer's actions. The letter condemns what it describes as a 'remote stitch-up from a small group of people at the very top in London', arguing there is 'no legitimate reason' why Burnham should be denied the democratic right to stand.
There are now mounting calls for an emergency meeting of the party's ruling National Executive Committee to reverse the contentious decision. MPs have warned that Starmer's strike against the popular Greater Manchester mayor has 'hastened his demise' and significantly increased the likelihood of a leadership battle this year.
Farage Welcomes Move as Burnham Predicts By-Election Loss
In comments that will further infuriate Labour MPs, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage yesterday welcomed Starmer's intervention, stating that Burnham would have been 'very difficult to beat' in the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election. Farage claimed his party's chances had 'improved massively' as a result of Burnham being kept off the ballot paper, arguing that the anti-Starmer vote would now coalesce around Reform.
Burnham himself insinuated that Labour would now lose the by-election, scheduled for February 26th, because it had prevented him from standing. While appearing to reluctantly accept the decision, the former health secretary made several pointed remarks, including responding to comments about Labour's 'inward-looking psychodrama' by noting: 'I'm not sure losing a by-election does us any good either.'
North-South Divide Widens Within Labour Ranks
At a public event yesterday, Burnham made a pointed jibe at the Labour leadership in Westminster, feeding into a growing North-South divide within the party. He emphasised that 'The Greater Manchester way is built on togetherness', adding pointedly: 'We don't ever here have a politics that's about pitting people against one another.'
Earlier yesterday, Starmer had defended his decision, arguing that allowing Burnham to stand would 'divert our resources' from fighting the crucial local elections in May. He insisted Burnham was doing a 'great job' as mayor and called for unity ahead of what he described as the 'battle of our times' against Reform.
Cross-Faction Criticism and Union Backlash
The criticism has come from across Labour's political spectrum, not just from the party's left wing. Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh stated the decision should be reversed 'otherwise I think we'll all come to regret this'. Left-wing MP Kim Johnson publicly demanded Starmer 'consider his position', while Ian Byrne, a close friend of Burnham, tweeted that Starmer and his inner circle were 'prepared to gift Gorton and Denton to Reform if it means protecting their own factional interests'.
Trade unions have also joined the criticism, with the TSSA stating Labour had 'lost its way' and Unison's general secretary declaring this was not how 'any democratic organisation should be run'.
Leadership Challenge Now Seen as Inevitable
Brian Leishman, Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, told LBC that there is a 'degree of inevitability' that Starmer will face a leadership challenge this year, noting bluntly: 'There's no doubt about it, the Prime Minister is not Mr Popular on the doorsteps.' Former Burnham adviser Sacha Lord was even more direct, stating on GB News: 'A fish rots from the head. He is a dead man walking and I think there'll be a new prime minister in post come July.'
Some within Labour have privately admitted they expect to lose the by-election, with a senior Government figure telling The Times: 'Realistically we know that we're going to lose. But it was a question of what was worse: Losing a by-election or losing control of Greater Manchester, which would have been a total disaster.' Another party source conceded that 'no one expects' victory in the February contest.
The controversy follows a weekend in which Starmer took a major political risk by personally leading efforts to block his rival. In a show of force, the Starmer-controlled panel of the party's ruling body voted against Burnham being allowed to contest the seat by eight votes to one. Labour sources argued that the risk of losing the Manchester mayoralty to Reform was too great and that a by-election campaign would divert costs from fighting local elections across England, Scotland and Wales.
