Sir Keir Starmer has blocked Andy Burnham’s bid to return to Westminster in a political gamble that risks sparking civil war within Labour.
The prime minister voted with other members of the party’s powerful National Executive Committee (NEC) ruling body to reject his potential leadership rival’s request to be allowed to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election, by 8 votes to 1.
In a statement, the party said permission had been denied, in a meeting that lasted just an hour, to avoid “an unnecessary election” to replace Mr Burnham as mayor of Greater Manchester.
But the move sparked fury among many Labour MPs, who warned their leader that the decision, which ignored calls from senior party figures to allow Mr Burnham to stand, looked weak, would trigger “bloodletting” and would “hasten your demise”. Mr Burnham is yet to comment.
The decision prevents Mr Burnham’s attempt to return to the Commons, at least in the short term, where many see him as the person who could replace Sir Keir in the event of a leadership challenge, as the party continues to trail behind Reform in the polls.
Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh said the decision was “incredibly disappointing” and called for the NEC to U-turn, “otherwise I think we’ll all come to regret this”.
Suspended Labour MP Diane Abbott said blocking Mr Burnham made Sir Keir look “weak”, while the party’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell denounced the reason given as “an insult to people’s intelligence” as he hit out at the “political cretins” advising the PM and predicted the decision would “hasten” his fall from power.
Karl Turner, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East, also told Times Radio: “There’ll be a lot of bloodletting in the Parliamentary Labour Party as a result of this decision.”
And John McTernan, Tony Blair’s former political secretary, told The Independent: “At a time when Labour are historically unpopular, it is a selfish error to block the most popular Labour politician in the country from standing. It leaves this by-election as a showcase for insurgent parties of the left and right.”
There was also a furious backlash from Labour-affiliated unions.
Andrea Egan, the new general secretary of Unison, one of Labour’s biggest backers, said: “I know many, many trade unionists will be so disappointed and angry at local members not being given a say over who their candidate should be. This isn’t the way any democratic organisation should be run.”
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) also called on the party to “change course”.
But allies of the PM hit back.
Housing secretary Steve Reed said voters had elected Mr Burnham to serve a four-year term as mayor in 2024 and “don’t like” mid-term elections.
“So we’re not going to go back and ask the people of Greater Manchester, over two million of them who are entitled to vote, to elect somebody else to complete the next two (years), because we can select a different candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election, and we will make the case for the Labour government,” he said.
Rugby MP John Slinger said the “quick and clear decision” meant the party could “move on from the damaging, introspection and psychodrama of the last week” and “pull together” behind the eventual candidate.
The Usdaw trade union also said it accepted the decision and a “conclusion about the major disruption that would be caused by Andy Burnham abandoning his current role”.
It called on the party “to unite and focus on delivering the change that was promised and the country voted for.”
Senior figures in the party, including Ed Miliband, Angela Rayner and deputy leader Lucy Powell, had all publicly backed allowing Mr Burnham to run as an MP. But of them, only Ms Powell had a vote at the meeting.
She was defeated 8-1, as others, including the prime minister, lined up to vote against Mr Burnham.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, abstained, which sources said was customary as she chaired the discussion. But being able to tell Labour MPs and members that she did not vote to block Mr Burnham will help her in what allies see as her own leadership ambitions. She had earlier called on her party to avoid Tory-style “psychodrama” over the row.
Before the decision, the wider NEC had called for a “pause” in the process over fears of a stitch-up, according to a leaked letter seen by the BBC.
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ms Mahmood was told the corporation had seen a leaked draft letter, written by the full NEC, that suggested “any attempt to rule out certain candidates will be seen as undemocratic interference”. It also said the current timetable “should be paused so that the whole NEC committee should be included in setting out this timeline and this process”.
Ms Mahmood hit back, saying the party was following “normal practice” for selection decisions. She also said it was not unusual for the party to have “big rows over selection”.
Overnight, Mr Burnham had faced a growing backlash from Labour MPs over his decision to throw his hat in the ring.
The Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid went public with her objections, warning of an “energy-sapping distraction, which is why many of us would probably have preferred Andy Burnham to stay out of it”.
Tom Rutland, the Labour MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, also tweeted: “Those who chose to run for election in 2024 to different positions – with significant responsibilities and a mandate from their voters – should stay in them.”