Monday, January 26, 2026
Is blockimg Burnham a fatal mistake for Starmer?
The paper says that 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 this week.
They add that the other eight members, which included the prime minister Keir Starmer, voted against the move, with the NEC chair, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, abstaining:
Allies of Starmer characterised the NEC’s decision as simply upholding party rules. But those who had urged Starmer to allow Burnham to stand said the decision was a calamitous mistake.
One source on the party’s soft left said: “No 10 have chosen factionalism over what’s right for the party. They will have to change course, not least once they realise they will lose the byelection without Andy.”
There was no immediate reaction from Burnham. But Mainstream, the left-leaning Labour group associated with the Greater Manchester mayor and other senior figures such as Powell, said: “Labour must reverse this decision if it is serious about putting country before party. We urge the party to reconsider in the interests of taking on Reform and building the strongest possible team in Westminster.”
Another Labour source said the NEC meeting, described as “respectful and collegiate”, had heard concerns about the cost of holding a mayoral byelection to replace Burnham two years into his term, and worries about a divisive campaign by Reform UK.
One tweets summs up how Starmer has put his future on the line by this decision:
In the knifing of Burnham, no senior Labour politician got blood on their hands. Shabana Mahmood, shielded by convention, chaired the crucial NEC meeting but did not vote (on the morning media round she had praised Burnham as an “exceptional politician”). Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, unsurprisingly, cast a lonely vote for Burnham. Wes Streeting condemned the anonymous briefings against Burnham as “disgraceful” and, without endorsing Burnham’s run, said the party needed “the best possible candidate” in Gorton and Denton. Ed Miliband said Burnham should be allowed to stand. So did Sadiq Khan. Those publicly trashing Burnham’s run were a selection of backbenchers. The figures on the NEC who voted to block Burnham are not household names. This is a decision that will be entirely put at the door of Keir Starmer. And if this decision results in the loss a safe Labour seat, in the party’s heartland of Greater Manchester, the Prime Minister will find that it is very, very lonely at the top.
There is no rule that says Burnham has to resign the mayoralty if he becomes an MP, so the idea that approving his candidacy opens up an opportunity for Reform to take charge of Greater Manchester is a false one. Other MPs have seen out their terms as an elected Mayor, so why not Burnham? And as for the argument that allowing him to become an MP could have added to speculation about the Prime Minister's future, blocking him in this way has stirred up even more discontent within the Labour Party.
Allowing Burnham to stand would have been the wise choice for Starmer. There was no guarantee that the Manchester mayor would have won the by-election, it was a gamble for him just as it much as it would have been for the Burnham. Without Burnham, the seat is likely to go to the Greens or Reform and, as the tweet says, that will undermine Starmer even more.
This act by the Prime Minister is a sign of weakness, not strength.
