Labour MPs from northwest England will gather amid rising speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek to stand in a forthcoming Westminster by-election in Gorton and Denton — a move that would test the Prime Minister’s authority and reshape Labour’s internal dynamics.
The meeting comes as party figures weigh whether Burnham, long viewed as a potential rival for the party leadership, will enter the race triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, the former MP for the Greater Manchester seat.
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Burnham faces an immediate procedural hurdle: as a regional mayor, he must seek permission from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) by 5 p.m. today if he wants to pursue the nomination. The NEC, whose membership includes many of the Prime Minister’s allies, oversees candidate approvals and final endorsements.
According to The Times, senior Labour figure Angela Rayner is expected to tell colleagues she supports allowing Burnham to enter the selection contest in Gorton and Denton. A selection process is expected to run next week, concluding with a hustings and NEC sign-off by Jan. 31.
The maneuvering has already prompted warnings from within Labour’s ranks against using party machinery to exclude Burnham. “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,” said Jo White, who chairs the Red Wall group of Labour MPs.
“Gorton and Denton deserves the best possible choice of candidates. I agree with the Prime Minister that our attention should be on delivering for the public, not speculating about future leadership contests,” said Crewe and Nantwich MP Connor Naismith. “Any decision made to limit the choice would be wrong.”
Gemma Bolton, a constituency members’ representative on the NEC, told BBC’s Newsnight it would be “outrageous” to block Burnham should he stand, adding such a move would “show a real weakness” in the Prime Minister’s leadership.
The by-election stakes are unusually high for an early-year contest. A Burnham bid would draw one of Labour’s most prominent regional leaders back into Westminster at a moment when the government is trying to focus on delivery and avoid leadership speculation. If approved, his candidacy would also test the balance between the party’s national leadership and its powerful metro mayors, whose profiles have grown through crisis management and devolution.
Meanwhile, senior Cabinet members will seek to keep attention on policy at the Fabian Society’s new year conference in London. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Manchester MP Lucy Powell are among those scheduled to speak.
For now, the clock is ticking on Burnham’s decision. The NEC’s permission deadline and an accelerated selection timetable underscore how quickly Labour’s internal calculations — and the national conversation — could shift if he enters the race.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
