Allies of Greater Manchester mayor say No 10 has ‘chosen factionalism’ as decision leads to a furious backlash
Allies of Greater Manchester mayor say No 10 has ‘chosen factionalism’ as decision leads to a furious backlash
Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) has blocked Andy Burnham’s request to seek selection for the Gorton and Denton byelection, setting off an immediate and furious row within the party.
In a vote of the 10-strong “officers’ group” of the NEC, only one person, Lucy Powell, the party deputy leader and a close ally of Burnham, voted to allow the Greater Manchester mayor to compete to be a candidate in the seat vacated by Andrew Gwynne last week.
The other eight members voted against the move, with the NEC chair, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, abstaining.
The decision would appear to completely stop Burnham’s attempts to return to parliament in the short term, where he would be seen as a major rival to succeed Keir Starmer in the event of a challenge against the prime minister, whose personal poll ratings are disastrous.
Allies of Starmer characterised the NEC’s decision as simply upholding party rules that sitting mayors or police and crime commissioners should not be allowed to stand for parliament.
