Andy Burnham Tees Up Battle With Keir Starmer By Launching MP Bid
Andy Burnham has launched his bid to be Labour’s candidate in a crunch by-election and return to Westminster as an MP.
The Manchester mayor told Labour bosses of his intentions to stand in Gorton and Denton following the resignation on health grounds of sitting MP Andrew Gwynne.
Burnham’s decision tees up a major battle with Downing Street, where allies of Keir Starmer want Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) to block his candidacy so he can’t mount a leadership challenge against the prime minister.
But that would potentially trigger a civil war in the party, with senior figures including Labour mayor Sadiq Khan demanding that Burnham be allowed to stand.
Khan told a Fabian Society conference on Saturday: “I’m a firm believer in the best team having all the talent playing for them.”
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