William James
LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) – British Labor politician Andy Burnham was blocked from returning to parliament on Sunday, in what was seen as a political move by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his allies to exclude potential leadership rivals.
Burnham, one of the party’s most high-profile politicians and the elected mayor of the northern English city of Manchester, said on Saturday he wanted to be Labour’s candidate to replace the councilor who resigned on Thursday.
Labor trails Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform UK party in opinion polls ahead of May’s local elections and has so far struggled to deliver on promises of a stronger economy, better public services and tighter borders.
The decision is likely to boil tensions within Labour, which saw Burnham rejected from standing on the party’s national executive committee on Sunday, losing an 8-1 vote against senior officials, including Starmer himself.
Blocking Burnham’s candidacy robs him of the chance to win a platform from which he could formally challenge Starmer, as only members of parliament can trigger a leadership contest.
“Andy Burnham has done an outstanding job as Mayor of Greater Manchester,” Labor said in a statement.
“We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary mayoral election,” the statement added, noting that holding an election to replace him would impose costs on taxpayers as well as Labour’s own campaign coffers.
Burnham did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.
Critics accuse Starmer of cowardice
Starmer’s future is so sensitive that the lawmaker’s resignation last week triggered a brief sell-off in British government bonds as investors speculated that Burnham, seen as a supporter of loose fiscal policy, might rejoin parliament and prepare for a leadership challenge of his own.
Labour’s support has plummeted since its landslide election victory in July 2024, and the party is divided over the best strategy to restore confidence.
After the NEC decision, left-wing Labor MP John McDonnell posted a public message to Starmer on
Burnham criticized Starmer’s leadership last year but said on Saturday he had assured the prime minister that he wanted to “support the work of the government, not undermine it”.
Burnham ran unsuccessfully for party leadership in 2015, being defeated by Jeremy Corbyn. He left parliament in 2017 to become mayor of Greater Manchester but remains an influential figure for some centre-left groups within Labour, particularly those critical of Starmer’s centrist stance.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Susan Fenton)
