Starmer: Burnham ‘free to stand’ after his term as Mayor as 50 MPs object to by-election block

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Keir Starmer won't block Andy Burnham's return to Parliament after Manchester mayoral terms ends

Sir Keir Starmer has said that Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham is more than welcome to run for Parliament after his present term as Mayor.

This comes after Burnham was reportedly ‘blocked’ from running for the currently vacant local seat in Gorton and Denton.

Since the story, a total of 50 Labour MPs are said to have signed an official letter of complaint objecting to the decision, with Starmer now coming under fire for allegedly protecting his own position, as many see Burnham as a potential rival.

However, the Prime Minister insists the block was simply an attempt to protect the party, arguing that it would have diverted focus and resources away from other issues, whilst insisting that what Burnham does after his run as the region’s mayor is “a matter for Andy”.

As per The Telegraph, Starmer went on to add that he believes his former colleague (the PM worked under Burnham back in 2015) is doing “a first-class job” in local government.

The 56-year-old was first elected Mayor for Greater Manchester back in 2017 before winning re-election back in both 2021 and May of 2024.

His current tenure is set to end around the same time in 2028, but with many touting for the ‘King of the North’ as a potential leadership replacement ahead of the next general election – which must take place no later than 15 August 2029 – a prospective return to Parliament could be next on the cards.

Those who signed the letter going against Keir stated that he had “no legitimate reason” to prevent such a move against Burnham and said that Labour’s governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), should reassess and ultimately reconsider.

It remains to be seen whether the outcome will change either way.

The internal saga has sparked quite the debate

As for the Aintree-born politician, after already admitting that he was “disappointed” by the decision, he also rubbished suggestions that he knew about the move to block him prior to the event, calling the reports “completely untrue” and simply made no sense.

Following up in another post on social media, he shared the latest update from Downing Street itself, which reads: “No one in Number 10 told Andy Burnham not to apply to the NEC for permission to stand or gave any indication to him which sought to prejudge the NEC officers’ deliberation or decision.”

Once again, only time will tell whether or not the letter objecting to Burnham’s return to standing for a constituency or any other Parliamentary role will see any watershed.

What do you make of the situation?

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Featured Images — Rwendland (via WikiCommons)/Scottish Government (via Flickr)/Supplied

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