𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The current Mayor of Greater Manchester said in a message on X he had sought permission to run in the by-election with Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC). The NEC can still block his bid for selection by refusing permission. The social media post read: “I have today written to the Chair of Labour’s National Executive Committee seeking permission to enter the selection process for a candidate for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.”

In the letter he penned to the NEC, Mr Burnham tried to quash speculation his presence in Parliament could undermine Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership – given the mayor is believed to have ambitions to become leader himself – with a three-word message. The move, he said, is meant to back the Government – “not undermine it”. He also said the decision to seek a return to the Commons had been “difficult”, but now was “the moment to mount the strongest possible defence of what we stand for”.

In a letter to the NEC asking for permission to stand, Mr Burnham said he had “given careful thought to what is in the best interests of our party and the city region I represent” following the announcement of a by-election “nobody wanted or expected”.

He argued there was now “a direct threat to everything Greater Manchester has always been about from a brand of politics which seeks to pit people against each other”. 

He added: “I see this by-election as the front line of that fight for the Manchester way and I feel I owe it to a city which has given me so much to lead it from the front, despite the risks involved.”

Mr Burnham’s candidacy was welcomed by Cabinet minister Ed Miliband as he was attending the annual conference in London of the Fabian Society. Mr Miliband said the mayor had done “an outstanding job” in his current role – as he denied that Mr Burnham’s return to Westminster would raise questions about Sir Keir’s leadership.

He said: “The Labour party needs to look outwards and not inwards and it needs to be loyal to Keir and it needs to get on with the job of serving the country.”

The by-election was triggered on Thursday after the sitting MP Andrew Gwynne, who won the seat with 51% of the vote in 2024, announced his resignation from Parliament on health grounds.

If elected, Mr Burnham would be legally required to stand down as mayor of Greater Manchester, triggering a city-wide by-election.