Andy Burnham 'disappointed' after bid to return as MP blocked by Labour's governing body

Andy Burnham has said he is "disappointed" after Labour's governing body blocked him from standing as an MP at the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

Mr Burnham formally requested permission to stand for the contest on Saturday. As mayor of Manchester, he needed permission to contest a different political election.

Mr Burnham's return to Westminster was seen by many as a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.

Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) voted to block the mayor's request on Sunday.

Sky News understands the 10-person panel voted eight to one to block Mr Burnham's bid, with only Deputy Leader Lucy Powell backing him. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, chair of the NEC - Labour's governing body - abstained.

The prime minister was among those voting against Mr Burnham, joined by union figures and other Labour Party representatives.

Mr Burnham said he was "disappointed" by the decision, and said he was "concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us".

But, he added: "To whoever is Labour's candidate and to our members in Manchester and Tameside: you will have my full support and I will be there whenever you need me."

He said he will "return with full focus" to his role as mayor on Monday after offering to stand to help beat Reform UK, writing: "We are stronger together and let's stay that way," in a message on X.

But he criticised the Labour leadership in another post, which 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.

"You would think that over 30 years of service would count for something but sadly not."

A statement from the party said the reason behind the decision was the cost of running the campaigns for both a parliamentary seat and a Manchester mayoralty by-election.

"Although the party would be confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC could not put Labour's control of Greater Manchester at any risk, the statement said.

"Andy Burnham is doing a great job as mayor of Greater Manchester. We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary mayoral election which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers' money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost of living crisis.

"We look forward to fighting and winning the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton and the positive campaign ahead which will be firmly focused on tackling the cost of living and bringing investment to the local area."

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Starmer told move will 'simply hasten demise'

Many MPs loyal to Mr Starmer backed the decision, but the move caused anger on the left of the party.

John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, warned the prime minister: "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."

Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan said branded the decision a "stitch-up", which "puts control before country."

"Those who have orchestrated this outcome are happy to destroy the Labour Party because of their deep seated factionalism," he said.

"We've seen this before when some individuals were actively working against us winning. We're rapidly losing all sense of reason."

Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, also criticised the Labour leadership, who she said "care more about settling personal scores than winning elections".

Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, said: "The leadership should not feel threatened by having one of the most popular politicians in the country as part of the national team.

"It's not too late to change course and make the right decision. Otherwise I think we'll all come to regret this."

(c) Sky News 2026: Andy Burnham 'disappointed' after bid to return as MP blocked by Labour's governing body