{"id":5087,"date":"2026-01-25T12:56:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=5087"},"modified":"2026-01-25T12:56:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:56:03","slug":"andy-burnhams-bid-to-become-mp-blocked-by-labour-ruling-committee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badvibes.live\/?p=5087","title":{"rendered":"Andy Burnham\u2019s bid to become MP blocked by Labour ruling committee"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andy Burnham\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0hopes of returning to the House of Commons for the first time in nine years have been dashed by his party\u2019s ruling committee.<\/p>\n

The Mayor of Greater Manchester wanted to become Labour\u2019s candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, prompted by the resignation of suspended MP Andrew Gwynne.<\/p>\n

In a letter to the chair of the committee, known as the NEC, Burnham explained he wanted to use his experience to help the\u00a0government<\/a>\u00a0\u2018go further and faster\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018I would be there to support the work of the government, not undermine it,\u2019 he wrote.<\/p>\n

But there were few people who doubted the Mayor has much grander ambitions \u2013 and may have had his eyes on Keir Starmer\u2019s job, after some high-profile criticism of the PM.<\/p>\n

This morning, the committee decided in a meeting they would not allow Burnham to apply as a candidate.<\/p>\n

\n

Want to understand more about how politics affects your life?<\/h2>\n
\n

Metro’s senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down all the chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The move will almost certainly be met with enormous backlash from MPs and unions who \u2013 along with top Labour figures such as deputy leader Lucy Powell and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband \u2013 warned it would be a mistake.<\/p>\n

\n

Where does Burnham block leave Keir Starmer?<\/h2>\n
\n

Metro\u2019s Senior Political Reporter Craig Munro analyses the move:<\/em><\/p>\n

Keir Starmer may have struggled to stand up to his backbench MPs a few times since entering No 10 \u2013 but he\u2019s about to face his biggest test of leadership yet.<\/p>\n

He had two options for how to handle Andy Burnham\u2019s bid to re-enter the House of Commons, and both were almost certain to spell disaster.<\/p>\n

So, the Prime Minister had a decision to make.<\/p>\n

As a member of the NEC, it wouldn\u2019t be hard for him to use his power to nip Burnham\u2019s ambitions in the bud nice and early by blocking his application.<\/p>\n

However, that would risk the ire of many left-wing MPs and unions who back the Mayor\u2026 and could leave Starmer looking weak and fearful of a strong leadership challenge.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also an argument that it could risk handing the seat to Reform, who came in second place at the last election.<\/p>\n

The \u2018King of the North\u2019 is, after all, the most popular Labour politician in the country according to YouGov. But that\u2019s also what makes him such a threat.<\/p>\n

If his candidacy had gone ahead and he had won, many believe he would ultimately launch a leadership challenge \u2013 and could win it, with previous polls suggesting Labour members vastly prefer him to Starmer.<\/p>\n

Plus, a Burnham by-election victory would have meant another by-election would need to take place \u2013 this one for a new Mayor of Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n

That could also have been a tricky one for Labour to win, and Reform taking power in the city would have been huge. Not to mention the expense of holding an election, which could run into the millions.<\/p>\n

It looks like the NEC has opted for what they hope is short-term pain over a more drawn-out headache.<\/p>\n

But watch to see what happens if Reform do take Gorton and Denton, and if Burnham decides there\u2019s now nothing stopping him from becoming a true thorn in the side of the government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A statement from the Labour Party following today\u2019s judgement cited concerns over cost as the main reason for the outcome.<\/p>\n

It said: \u2018The NEC believes that causing an unnecessary election for the position of Greater Manchester Mayor 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.<\/p>\n

\u2018Although the Party would be confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC could not put Labour\u2019s control of Greater Manchester at any risk.<\/p>\n

\u2018Andy Burnham is doing a great job as Mayor of Greater Manchester. We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary Mayoral election, which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers\u2019 money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost of living crisis.<\/p>\n

\u2018We look forward to fighting and winning the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton and the positive campaign ahead, which will be firmly focused on tackling the cost of living and bringing investment to the local area.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andy Burnham\u2019s\u00a0hopes of returning to the House of Commons for the first time in nine years have been dashed by his party\u2019s ruling committee. The Mayor of Greater Manchester wanted to become Labour\u2019s candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, prompted by the resignation of suspended MP Andrew Gwynne. In a letter to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t