Andy Burnham blocked from standing in by-election by Labour NEC committee

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as a candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election by Labour’s national executive committee. The committee voted 8-1 to block his candidacy. LabourList understands that only Lucy Powell voted in favour of Burnham going forward. As chair, Shabana Mahmood abstained as is protocol.

Burnham announced yesterday he would seek permission from the NEC to stand in the by-election, as required by party rules. In a letter to party chair Anna Turley, he said use his role as an MP, if successful, to “help [the government] to go further and faster” and “support the work of the government, not undermine it.”

However, a ten-member committee of the NEC ruled earlier this morning that Burnham’s bid to stand in the by-election, triggered by the resignation of suspended Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, should not proceed any further.

The decision made by the NEC is final with no recourse for appeal, effectively ending any chance for Burnham to stand as an MP while still serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester.

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The decision comes after several MPs, including Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, mounted pressure on the NEC to allow for Burnham to be able to stand as a candidate and to avoid a “London stitch-up.”

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However, others – including East Kilbride and Strathaven MP Joani Reid, said that the selection process had become an “energy-sapping distraction” and that, if Burnham was “on manoeuvres” with his bid to return to Westminster, “it’s the last thing we need in the run-up to the May elections.”

Labour First political director Lucy Atkinson echoed Reid’s view, highlighting the cost of a potential Greater Manchester mayoral by-election “just for one man’s ego”.

Applications to stand as Labour’s candidate in Gorton and Denton close at just before midnight tonight, with Manchester council leader Bev Craig and Manchester council executive member Julie Reid both touted as potential nominees.

Emma Burnell, Editor of LabourList commented “There are perfectly reasonable concerns about the costs and political dangers of a by-election for Greater Manchester mayor. The problem the leadership has is that the vast majority of Labour members I have spoken to simply do not believe this is why Burnham has been blocked.

“There is an iron clad law of internal Labour politics – that when a ruling is made that is supposed to benefit one faction it inevitably backfires and ends up being used against them. If stopping Burnham is supposed to quiet leadership speculation I strongly suspect it will do exactly the opposite.”

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