Mainstream has said the decision should be reversed, while Manchester voters also say that Labour was "wrong" to block Burnham from standing
Mainstream, the centre-left group backed by Andy Burnham, has criticised Keir Starmer and the Labour NEC’s decision to stop the Manchester mayor from running in a Manchester by-election.
The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 8-1 against allowing Burnham to step down as mayor of Manchester to run in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Starmer, who also sits on the NEC, was one of the eight who voted against Burnham standing.
Mainstream’s Interim Council has called for the decision to be reconsidered, saying: “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.”
John McDonnell MP also condemned the decision, describing it as “disgusting”.
McDonnell wrote on X: “Message to Keir: Do not underestimate the depth of anger people will feel about this disgusting decision. If you think it strengthens you I tell you it will simply hasten your demise. You could have shown magnanimous leadership but instead it’s cowardice.”
Starmer has defended his decision to block Burnham from standing to become an MP again, saying “Andy Burnham’s doing a great job as the mayor of Manchester” and that having a mayoral by-election “would divert our resources away” from other elections.
However, the prime minister is concerned about facing a leadership challenge from Burnham, which is widely viewed as the main reason he was prevented from running in the Manchester seat.
Burnham said he was “disappointed” by yesterday’s NEC decision and said he would give “full support” to Labour’s candidate. He later said: “The fact that the media was informed of the NEC decision before I was tells you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days.”
Burnham has also suggested that Labour may now lose the Manchester by-election as a result of him not standing.
The by-election was triggered by suspended MP Andrew Gwynne announcing that he will step down as an MP. Gwynne was suspended from the Labour party and as a minister last year over sending offensive messages in a WhatsApp group.
Polling for the New Statesman also found that the majority (54%) of Manchester voters polled said it would be “wrong” for Labour to block Burnham from running in the by-election.
A further 62% said Burnham should be “free to seek selection as an MP”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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