Andy Burnham latest: Decision day for Labour as Starmer allies warned not to block mayor’s Commons bid – UK Times

Andy Burnham’s decision to throw his hat in the ring for this by-election has thrust Labour’s civil war over Keir Starmer’s future into the spotlight, writes Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, herself tipped as a potential leadership contender, today called for cool heads to prevail. She told Sky News that Labour “get to decide if we indulge in a psychodrama”.

Overnight the backlash against Mr Burnham among Labour MPs grew, with a second MP going public with his opposition.

Earlier another MP told The Independent that Mr Bunrham’s decision was a “show of ego”. But his supporters fear a powerful Labour committee, chaired by Ms Mahmood, will block his return to Westminster.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that she trusts Andy Burnham when he says he backs Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Speaking to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Mahmood said: “Andy has said in his own words that Keir is the best prime minister and he’s made it very clear in his letter what his motivation is for coming into parliament.”

Asking by Laura Kuenssberg if she believed Mr Burnham, Ms Mahmood replied: “I do believe him because I take him at his word. I’ve never had any reason not to take him at his word. I trust him…And I am going to take what he says at face value, because I know I can do that with Andy.”

Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has said that Andy Burnham’s bid should be decided by local members.

Speaking on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Baroness Shami said: “He should be allowed to put himself to the members of Gorton and Denton like any other candidate. I think it would be really bad look frankly if the third London Labour leadership in a row was seen to be blocking a very popular Manchester mayor in a Manchester seat, when the the big threat is the populist far right, it’s Reform, and he may well be the candidate most likely to defeat Reform.

“We don’t want to be the soap opera, we don’t want to be knocking the Beckhams off the headlines for the wrong reasons.”

The home secretary chairs the committee of Labour’s powerful ruling body that will make the decision, writes Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin.

As a metro mayor, Mr Burnham has to ask for permission to stand from the National Executive Committee (NEC), whose membership includes many Starmer loyalists.

But Ms Mahmood admitted the NEC could also decide to impose an All Women Shortlist (AWS) at a later date.

This mechanism exists because most Labour MPs are still male. She told Sky News: “There will no doubt be a discussion about whether we want to have an all women shortlist at some point.

“But the first decision is, the Metro mayor has asked for permission. He’s done exactly what the rules require him to do.”

Chair of the powerful NEC committee who will decide on Mr Burnham’s bid, Shabana Mahmood, has said colleagues should not indulge in “psychodrama”, saying the country would not forgive Labour for focusing on internal issues.

When asked by Trevor Phillips about whether a “psychodrama” would be launched by Mr Burnham’s return to the Commons, Ms Mahmood said: “Everyone has to make their own decisions. What I would say is that I think everyone could do with less psychodrama and my clear message to all of my colleagues, whoever they are… is we get to decide if we want to indulge in a psychodrama. And I don’t want to do that.”

She said the country “won’t forgive us” if Labour becomes as dramatic as the former Conservative government.

Speaking about whether Labour could win at the upcoming by-election, she said: “You can’t go into any kind of election…anything other than on the front foot.

“We know that the country is still impatient for more change.

“The Labour Party has a strong case to make to the people of Denton first and foremost and then people across the country, whether that is in Manchester or elsewhere.”

Labour’s ruling body is set to decide whether Andy Burnham can stand as a by-election candidate as the Greater Manchester mayor plots a return to Westminster.

The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is expected to meet virtually on Sunday after Mr Burnham applied for permission to contest the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

Labour Party rules give the NEC a veto over regional mayors contesting parliamentary elections under a change introduced after the last election, designed to prevent costly mayoral by-elections.

The committee now faces a dilemma over whether to exercise that power, with sources worried it will anger some party members whether it allows Mr Burnham to stand or not.

Sources close to the NEC have expressed concern about the expense of fighting a mayoral by-election in Manchester, while reports suggest supporters of Sir Keir Starmer are concerned about Mr Burnham’s leadership ambitions.

But senior Labour figures, including Cabinet minister and former leader Ed Miliband, have urged the committee not to block Mr Burnham’s candidacy and allow local members to decide.

Ms Mahmood has said that Labour “should take Andy at his word” and believe that he wants to support the government.

Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News, she said: “I don’t think that all of these hypotheticals, machinations, these are, I understand why people ask these questions but to be honest from my perspective we as a government and a party need to pull together. We have tough local elections coming up, we have a strong case to make to the country, I’m not scared of Reform or the Greens I say we take the fight to them. It’s a fight I believe that we can win.”

Referring to the drama created by Mr Burnham’s bid to become an MP, Ms Mahmood said: “Everyone has to make their own decisions… I think everyone could do with less psychodrama.”

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that Andy Burnham is a “fantastic mayor for Greater Manchester” and refused to be drawn on whether she will back his bid to become an MP.

Speaking on Sky on Sunday morning, she said Mr Burnham’s letter to Labour’s NEC made his “case in a fair-minded and decent way”.

She added: “I am the chair of that committee, and I think it’s my job to be an impartial chair…It’s not my job as the chair to make comments.”

She said: “I play these things with a straight bat, we have the meeting later on today and that’s where the decision will be made.”

“I write to seek the permission of the NEC to enter the process for the selection of Labour’s candidate for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

“This has been a difficult decision for me to make and I thought it would help members of the NEC if I shared my reasoning in reaching it.

“Of course, nobody wanted or expected a by-election at this time and I have given careful thought to what is in the best interests of our Party and the city-region I represent. 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 front line 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.

“With your permission to stand, I would run a hopeful and unifying campaign with broad appeal to voters, focusing on the positivity around what we have achieved, whilst at the same time being honest about the alienation people feel from politics.

“I left Westminster almost 10 years ago because I felt it too and had a strong sense that it wasn’t working for people in our part of the world.

“In my current job, 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.

“I applaud this Government for being the first in a long time to face up to them and put people before profit. The progress already made on rail renationalisation, bus re-regulation, the housing crisis and devolution is truly impressive. My role in returning would be to use my experience to help it to go further and faster, as well as communicate the difference it is making. I would be there to support the work of the Government, not undermine it, and I have passed on this assurance to the Prime Minister.

“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 into a new era.

“I hope this makes my reasoning clear and I attach the required form with further information. Out of respect for this internal process, I will not be giving any further public statements until it is concluded beyond the release of this letter. I am sad at the circumstances in which all this has come about and, while he clearly made mistakes, I want to recognise the dedicated service of Andrew Gwynne to this area over many years.

“Rt Hon Andy Burnham”