𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Labour Party has blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, a bombshell move that is set to spark the most furious civil war within the party since the general election. 

The news broke after the party’s National Executive Committee convened this morning for a make-or-break meeting to decide Mr Burnham’s fate.

The meeting, which lasted just under an hour, saw the panel of Keir Starmer loyalists vote in favour of blocking Mr Burnham from applying for the Labour candidacy.

The small clique insists that the refusal is down to fears about the cost of having to hold a by-election for Metro Mayor of Manchester should Mr Burnham be permitted to stand for parliament.

Polls also suggest Reform could be a threat to the party’s possession of the crucial frontline job in British politics.

However opponents of Keir Starmer are set to accuse the party’s leadership of blocking Mr Burnham over fears he will launch a leadership coup against the historically unpopular Prime Minister.

Mr Burnham’s dreams of returning to Westminster were crushed by a landslide vote of 8-1, as the NEC wielded Keir Starmer’s authority to protect the Prime Minister.

The only member of the committee to vote in favour of Mr Burnahm was Lucy Powell, the elected deputy leader of the party and a fellow Mancunian. NEC chair Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, did not cast a vote.

While Sir Keir may breathe a sigh of relief at the outcome, the news is set to spark a furious civil war within the party, after days of Labour MPs warning the Prime Minister not to block Mr Burnham.

The by-election will now also expose the Prime Minister to another defeat at the hands of Reform UK and Nigel Farage, with polls suggesting the insurgent right-wing party is set to take the seat without the star power that Mr Burnham could have brought to the fight.

This morning Ms Mahmood praised Mr Burnham as an “exceptional politician”, and said she was taking him at his word when promising he would use his role in parliament to support, not undermine, the Prime Minister. 

She told Sky News: “I always think we should have all of our best players making their contribution to the Labour Government.”

On Saturday evening Mr Burnham confirmed he was seeking the right to stand in the by-election, appearing to warn Sir Keir that it could be lost without his local popularity. 

Mr Burnham wrote that the by-election would be the “front line” of a fight against “a brand of politics which seeks to pit people against each other”.

Labour won the Gorton and Denton constituency in 2024 with 51% of the vote, but it’s now forecast by polling experts that Reform would secure a comfortable win of six points over Labour’s candidate.

Nigel Farage is eyeing up 32% of the vote, to Labour’s 26% and the Green Party’s 22%.

However Britain Predicts found that with Mr Burnham as Labour’s candidate, he would beat Reform with a lead of four points. 

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