Andy Burnham has insisted he did not want to “undermine” Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership by seeking to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
The Greater Manchester mayor was blocked by Labour’s NEC committee from standing in the north west seat over the weekend, amid widespread speculation he was plotting a leadership bid.
But on Thursday, Mr Burnham insisted he put himself forward to stand in the highly-anticipated contest because he believed it was “in the best interests of Greater Manchester”.
“I want this to be known as well: I spoke to senior people in the party, including the home secretary. We had a really great conversation,” he said during a phone-in on BBC Radio Manchester.
“And I did ask to speak to the prime minister, because I wanted to assure him of something I put in the letter that supported my application, and it was that I wasn’t coming in to undermine him or the government.
“I was coming in to see if I could contribute, because some of the things I know are holding Greater Manchester back are problems at that level.”
Asked for his thoughts on a conversation he and the PM had on Monday, Mr Burnham said: “It was a fair exchange, but we both said how we how we felt, and I was glad to have that conversation and a chance to say how I felt.
“I would have preferred, obviously, to speak in advance to the decision to assure him of what I was trying to do. As I say, I think it could have created a more positive path for everybody, including the prime minister, including the government.”
The Gorton and Denton by-election is expected to take place on 26 February, after former MP Andrew Gwynne stood down for health reasons.
Sir Keir is battling a growing rebellion over the decision to block the Manchester mayor from standing in a by-election in the city, with around 50 Labour MPs having signed a letter objecting to it earlier this week.
Critics have accused Sir Keir and his allies of preventing Mr Burnham’s candidacy for factional reasons, fearing a leadership challenge from the mayor as both Labour’s poll ratings and his personal approval ratings flounder.
But the prime minister has insisted that an extra election for the mayor of Manchester would “divert our resources” away from the local elections, which are already expected to be extremely bruising for Labour.
