By William James
LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) – British Labor Party politician Andy Burnham was blocked from trying to return to parliament on Sunday, in what was seen as a political move by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his allies to keep out potential leadership rivals.
Burnham, one of the party’s most high-profile politicians and an elected mayor in the northern English city of Manchester, said on Saturday he wanted to become the Labor candidate to replace a lawmaker who resigned on Thursday.
Labor is trailing in opinion polls towards Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform ahead of local elections in May and has so far struggled to deliver on promises of a stronger economy, better public services and tighter borders.
In a decision likely to bring simmering tensions within Labor to a new boil, Burnham was refused permission to stand by the party’s National Executive Committee on Sunday, losing a vote of senior officials, including Starmer himself, by 8 to 1.
Blocking Burnham’s candidacy denies him the chance to win a platform from which he could formally challenge Starmer, as only MPs can lead to a leadership contest.
“Andy Burnham is doing a great job as Mayor of Greater Manchester,” the Labor Party said in a statement.
“We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary mayoral election,” the statement added, citing the cost to taxpayers – and Labour’s own campaign funds – of holding an election to replace him.
Burnham did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.
CRITIC ACCUSES STARMER OF COWARDICE
Such is the sensitivity over Starmer’s future that the lawmaker’s resignation last week sparked a short sell-off in British government bonds, as investors speculated that Burnham – seen as favoring looser fiscal policy – could rejoin parliament and position himself for a leadership challenge.
Labor’s popularity has plummeted since it won the general election in July 2024 and the party is divided on the best strategy to regain trust.
The far-left lawmaker John McDonnell posted an open message to Starmer on X after the NEC decision: “If you think it will strengthen you I tell you it will simply hasten your death. You could have shown magnanimous leadership but instead it is cowardice.”
Burnham criticized Starmer’s leadership last year but said on Saturday that he had assured the Prime Minister that he wanted to “support the work of the government, not undermine it”.
Burnham ran unsuccessfully to become party leader in 2015, when he was defeated by Jeremy Corbyn. He left parliament to become Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 but remained an influential figure for some centre-left groups within Labour, particularly those critical of Starmer’s more centrist stance.
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Susan Fenton)