Labour figures react as speculation over Burnham’s return rumbles on

Following the announcement that Andrew Gwynne MP for Gorton and Denton would be resigning from his position in Parliament, there has been much speculation over who will stand for Labour in the upcoming by-election for the now vacant seat in the Commons.

Due to the geography of the constituency and constant discussion around the potential of a return to Westminster, the immediate response across the Labour movement has been to assume that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will see this by-election as an opportunity for his Parliamentary comeback.

However, as the consensus builds that Burnham’s return to Westminster would be focused on a challenge to the leadership, opinion in the Labour Party has split. Burnham has many advocates, but there still remains significant resistance in the PLP and party’s NEC who will make the decision on candidature should he attempt to run.

Additionally, some have been openly sceptical about the optics of a Burnham return for the future of the party. Meanwhile others remain completely cynical about any reasons put forward to prevent the Manchester Mayor from running in the upcoming by-election.

READ MORE: What hurdles would Andy Burnham face to stand for Parliament?

Red Wall leader says ‘Let the North decide’:

Jo White MP for Bassetlaw and leader of Labour’s Red Wall group took to X to give her take on the questions over internal democracy for Labour relating to Burnham should he desire to stand. White stated: “Let the North decide who their Labour candidate should be for the Gorton and Denton by election. A London stitch up will be a disaster for Labour.”

Should the party NEC intervene in the hopes to save Starmer from a potential challenger by blocking the Manchester Mayor, White’s words echo much of the discourse around the party and its leadership taking a significant credibility hit for doing so.

Nadia Whittome MP for Nottingham East and member of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs also took the chance to give her thoughts on any central party intervention that may prevent Burnham from standing in Gorton and Denton. Whittome wrote on Bluesky while linking to an article on Politics Home discussing the potential of Burnham’s blocking.

“If my party is serious about anti-racism: implement the Forde recommendations, adopt the APPG’s definition of Islamophobia, address disproportionate poverty rates and poor health outcomes. Do not cynically deploy an all-BAME shortlist to shut down party democracy. Offensive and politically weak.”

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Not all MPs on board the Burnham bus:

While some PLP members have come forward in support of any desire Burnham may have to stand, it is also clear that some feel the only outcome from such a scenario would be damaging for the party.

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley and Middleton South spoke about the prospect of Burnham’s return to Andrew Marr on LBC last night and was more concerned of the potential wider implications should Burnham vacate his current role as Mayor.

Stringer said of the potential situation in Manchester “If Andy was to step down as Mayor and to go for Denton and Gorton, he may or may not win that, but we would be having to fight an election across Manchester for the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and you only have to look at the opinion polls to see that Reform might win that. Now, I don’t want to be a Labour MP in Greater Manchester with a Reform Mayor.”

The Blackley and Middleton South MP also added some of the concerns he held around the Manchester Mayor’s motivations for returning to Westminster. He said “I think the electorate hate being used. The electorate of Denton and Gorton would want somebody who was interested in Denton and Gorton. Now, Andy at the moment represents the whole of Greater Manchester. He has not got a particular interest in Denton and Gorton as far as I’m aware.”

Unions have their say:

Union leaders affiliated with the Labour Party have also presented their views on the prospect of NEC interference with candidacy selection.

General Secretary of the FBU, Steve Wright stated “It would be a democratic outrage if Andy Burnham was blocked from seeking selection as Labour’s by-election candidate in this seat.”

“In the event that a by-election takes place, as an affiliated union, the FBU will not stand by and allow senior Labour politicians like Andy to be carved out of this process.

“Our union will fiercely resist any attempts to stitch up the selection.

“It’s vital that there is a full and open democratic procedure to choose Labour’s candidate to fight this by-election

“Anything less would be unacceptable”.

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Equally, the recently elected General Secretary of UNISON, Andrea Egan also expressed her thoughts on X.

“I’m sure all trade unionists expect a democratic process for Gorton & Denton in which local party members decide who they want to represent them. We’ve seen enough control-freakery in the Labour Party and it has done our movement nothing but harm”.

Egan’s election from UNISON members has prompted many to acknowledge her history of issues with the current party leadership, having been openly critical and discussed the option of disaffiliating.

‘The clue is in the question’

Peter Lamb MP for Crawley responded to Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges with a very simple expression, providing his feelings on the matter.

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Hodges wrote of Burnham’s confidence in comparison to Starmer, saying: “Genuinely can’t understand how anyone who has held any contact with a member of the British public over the past 12 months can seriously believe it would be in the Labour Party’s interests to stop Andy Burnham from running and protect Keir Starmer.”

Lamb replied simply “The clue is in the question Dan.”

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