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Manchester mayor seeks permission to stand in upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, paving the way for a potential leadership challenge
Kate Devlin Whitehall editor, Tara Cobham & Holly BancroftSaturday 24 January 2026 19:05 GMT- Bookmark
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Andy Burnham has thrown his hat in the ring for the Gorton and Denton by-election, paving the way for a return to parliament and a potential leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.
The mayor of Greater Manchester has asked Labour’s powerful ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), whose membership includes many Starmer loyalists, for permission to stand in the contest.
Mr Burnham’s supporters have already warned the party not to use the NEC to block him, saying it would be “outrageous” and show that “nasty factionalism” was more important than beating Reform UK in the seat.
Sir Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, and deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell are among those calling for local members to be allowed to decide who represents them in the by-election fight against Nigel Farage’s party and the Greens.
Sir Sadiq said Labour needs “all the talent playing for them” and committed to campaigning for Mr Burnham in Gorton and Denton if he was selected as the candidate. Labour MPs said Mr Burnham was their “best hope” to retain the seat, with Ian Byrne MP saying that the party\s hierarchy “should be begging Andy Burnham to stand”.
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Key Points
- Burnham confirms bid to stand as MP
- Manchester mayor says he will 'support work of government, not undermine it'
- Streeting declines to say whether he supports Burnham in bid to be MP
- Labour deputy leader warns against blocking Burnham from standing as MP
- Mayor of London says Burnham should be allowed to stand to be MP
- 'A president who disrespects allies risks them not being there,' ex-defence secretary says
Mainstream Labour group launch petition against 'stitch-up' against Burnham
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
The Mainstream Labour group have launched a petition against a “stitch-up” against Andy Burnham over the Gorton and Denton by-election.
It reads: “Labour can win in the Gorton and Denton by-election if we lead with our values and allow a fair, democratic and open selection for our candidate.
“Labour is at its most powerful when we draw upon the strengths, talents and ideas of our entire movement.
“That’s how we deliver real change and transform the country.
“A stitch-up from the top would undermine Labour’s credibility with the public and send the wrong message to the dedicated members of our party.
“And it could cost the Labour Party the Gorton and Denton by-election.”
Tara Cobham24 January 2026 19:05'A president who disrespects allies risks them not being there,' ex-defence secretary says
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Former defence secretary Grant Shapps told the Independent he was “relieved that President Trump has finally acknowledged the sacrifice of British troops in Afghanistan, who fought and died alongside the US after 9/11 – the only time NATO’s Article 5 has ever been invoked.
“But a president who repeatedly disrespects allies risks them not being there when it matters in the future.”
Former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps (PA Archive)Tara Cobham24 January 2026 18:54Labour minister says it should be for local members to decide on Burnham candidacy
Miatta Fahnbulleh, Labour MP for Peckham and minister for devolution, faith and communities, has said Andy Burnham should not be blocked from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Speaking to Labour List ahead of Mr Burnham announcing his decision, she said: “If he does put his hat in his ring, then it should be for local members to decide if he’s the best candidate to win that by-election.
“I’ve worked with Andy both in this job and in other jobs, he has been a brilliant mayor of Greater Manchester, a city region that is overseeing the highest productivity growth - outperforming the national average.
“I think we have a fight on our hands as a government to both change the country and to beat Reform and we should have our best players in the team”.
She added that “stitch ups are not the thing that the Labour party should be doing”, saying it should be for “local members to decide”.
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 18:34'Game on': Reaction to Andy Burnham's bid to become MP
Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South, has reacted to the news that mayor of Greater Manchester is making a bid to become Labour’s by-election candidate in the Gorton and Denton, writing simply: “Game on”.
In a letter to the national executive committee seeking permission to enter the selection process, Mr Burnham said he would run “a hopeful and unifying campaign with broad appeal to votes, focusing on the positivity around what we have achieved, whilst at the same time being honest about the alienation people feel from politics”.
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 18:24Labour MP piles on pressure to let Andy Burnham run
Moments after his announcement, Labour MPs piled pressure on the party’s NEC not to block Andy Burnham’s bid to become the Labour’s candidate at the Gorton and Denton by-election, writes Kate Devlin.
Connor Naismith, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, tweeted: “There is no legitimate reason why a candidate of Andy's calibre should be denied being put before the party membership.”
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 18:05Burnham's bid to become MP will cause 'distraction and drama' at every turn
One Labour MP has told The Independent’s Kate Devlin that Andy Burnham’s bid to become an MP was the worst outcome for the party. They explained: "Because now it's a distraction and a drama every time anyone in the process so much as coughs."
Mr Burnham has sought permission from the national executive committee (NEC) to stand in the upcoming by-election. The NEC is currently chaired by home secretary Shabana Mahmood, with other MPs including Ellie Reeves, the solicitor general and sister of the chancellor, and chief whip Jonathan Reynolds.
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 17:41Burnham: I want to help Labour to go 'further and faster'
Andy Burnham has said that he wants to get back into Westminster politics to help make changes at “a national level”.
Speaking about his role as mayor of Greater Manchester, he said: “I have tried to pioneer a different way of doing things with some success. But I have learnt in my nine years as mayor that Manchester won’t be able to be everything it should be without similar changes at a national level. This is why I feel the need to go back.
“When so many people in a city-region like this are struggling to afford the daily basics, they are surely right to question why the country gave away control of them in the first place, in whose interests it is run and why no government of any colour has corrected these things for them.”
He added: “I applaud this government for being the first in a long time to face up to them and put people before profit...My role in returning would be to use my experience to help it go further and faster, as well as communicate the difference it is making”.
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 17:27Labour MP warns against 'rigged selection' attempt to bar Burnham
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP for Poole, has warned the party against a “rigged selection” that would see Andy Burnham blocked from standing at the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Mr Duncan-Jordan wrote on X saying: “Labour should be a democratic, pluralist and rules-based party. No more stitch-ups.
“Let Labour party members in Gorton and Denton pick their candidate. A rigged selection would put factionalism before winning for Labour”.
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 17:20Burnham: I am ready to mount strong defence of what we stand for
In his letter to the National Executive Committee, seeking permission to stand at the forthcoming by-election, Mr Burnham said that he had decided to put his name forward after “careful thought to what is in the best interests of our Party and the city-region I represent”.
He added: “With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion that this is the moment to mount the strongest possible defence of what we stand for and what we have built in this city over many generations.
“Manchester inspires because it is a place that has always stood for the equality of all people, right back to the cotton workers of 1862 who refused to handle slave-picked cotton. In my time as Mayor, I have drawn strength from that tradition and worked hard to unite people. We are famous for our togetherness and, from that foundation, we are achieving huge success as the UK’s fastest-growing city region.
“And yet, there is now a direct threat to everything Greater Manchester has always been about from a brand of politics which seeks to pit people against each other. It brings with it a poison we should not let enter our city-region.
“I see this by-election as the frontline of that fight for the Manchester Way and I feel I owe it to a city which has given me so much to lead it from the front, despite the risks involved”.
Andy Burnham announced his intention to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 17:19Andy Burnham seeks permission to stand in by-election, saying he would 'support the work of the government'
Andy Burnham has said he would use his potential selection as Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election to “support the work of the government, not undermine it”.
In a statement published on social media at 5pm, Mr Burnham said he had given these assurances “to the prime minister”.
Speaking to the powerful National Executive Committee (NEC), Mr Burnham said: “I can assure the NEC that, if allowed to stand and successful in the by-election, I would give my all to the subsequent Greater Manchester mayoral by-election. We have such a powerful story to tell of the change Greater Manchester Labour has brought to the city-region and I am confident we can win and take that success story to a new era”.
Holly Bancroft24 January 2026 17:11Newer1 / 3OlderMore about
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