“Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as a candidate for an upcoming parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton by Labour’s ruling body,” reports the BBC. The decision was made by ten members of the National Executive Committee “officers’ group”. Keir Starmer voted with the majority: only newly elected Deputy Leader Lucy Powell voted against.

Keir Starmer’s allies are gambling on a breakneck timetable to minimise the hostile publicity that will flow from this bureaucratic move. The byelection was announced Friday, candidates had to apply by 5pm yesterday and a quick meeting of an NEC subcommittee today was aimed at resolving the matter.

But this shabby manoeuvre is set to backfire. The anger of ordinary members, among whom Andy Burnham enjoys huge popularity, will be palpable. If the decision is not reversed, it will undermine Labour’s performance not only in the upcoming byelection, where Labour faces a strong challenge from Reform UK, but also in the May local and devolved elections, as activists refuse to campaign for a Party which treats their views with such contempt.

Already the battle over Andy Burnham’s candidacy has seen some high-profile Labour figures support his right to run. These include Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and many other MPs on the centre-left of the Party. The dispute reaches even into the Cabinet, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband saying the decision should be left to local members.

“Weak leadership… cowardice”

“The decision is likely to set off a ferocious row with allies of the Greater Manchester mayor,” repots the Guardian. There will be massive pressure from members, MPs and elected representatives for the ruling to be reversed. There could even be protracted legal action to get the decision overturned.

Former Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon MP tweeted: “Keir Starmer and his clique have shown they’re prepared to lose Gorton and Denton to Reform – just to protect narrow factional interests. It’s weak leadership – and will only deepen the crisis the party is in. There should now be an emergency NEC meeting to resolve this mess.”

Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP posted: “Message to Keir: Do not underestimate the depth of anger people will feel about this disgusting decision. 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.”

In a radio interview, McDonnell pointed out that Starmer’s position was a complete reversal of the stance he took when running to be Labour leader in 2019 when he promised local members would be allowed to decide on selections.

Nadia Whittome MP said: “In the most unsurprising turn of events, some Labour right apparatchiks care more about settling personal scores than winning elections after all. Even if it means risking gifting Reform another seat in Parliament. They’re destroying the only electoral vehicle currently capable of stopping a proto-fascist government in 2029.”

Labour peer Prem Sikka predicted: “Civil war would follow as Starmer doubles down on dissent to hang on to power.”

Former Shadow Employment Secretary Andy McDonald MP said: “This is completely outrageous. It should be for the members to decide who stands in this by election. I’m afraid the NEC and the control freaks have made a catastrophic mistake and they have massively miscalculated the damage this will cause.”

In a statement, Momentum said: “The Labour Leadership’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate in Gorton and Denton is a catastrophic example of the nasty factionalism typical of Starmer’s leadership. Local members have been denied the chance to vote for the best-placed candidate to defeat Reform, showing again that control-freakery at the top of the Party is destroying our chances of winning.

“Nonetheless this is clearly the beginning of the end for Starmer’s Government. Plummeting approval ratings and its refusal to back the bold, popular policies our communities need mean its days are numbered.  It is increasingly likely there will be a leadership election in the near future: it is essential that socialists and progressives stay in, join or rejoin Labour to have a say in that contest.”

Momentum Co-Chair Alex Charilaou added: “Blocking Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate in Gorton and Denton is an example of the nasty factionalism typical of Starmer’s leadership. Local members have been denied the chance to vote for the best-placed candidate to defeat Reform.

“This is clearly the beginning of the end for Starmer’s Government. Control-freakery at the top of the Party, plummeting approval ratings and a refusal to back the bold, popular policies our communities need mean its days are numbered.”

As we suggested last week, “One might think that a confident Labour leader would welcome the experience and ability that the mayor of Greater Manchester could bring to the Government’s front bench. John McDonnell MP suggested Burnham could be brought into Cabinet fast and appointed to lead on campaigning and elections.

Instead, the faction controlling the Labour Party has been working flat out to put any  number of obstacles in the path of Burnham’s return to Parliament.” These include proposals for a women-only shortlist, a BAME shortlist and a raft of irrelevant briefing about the cost of a mayoral byelection – which John McDonnell described as “an insult to people’s intelligence”. Burnham is by far Labour’s most popular politician, eclipsing the  ratings of any member of Starmer’s Cabinet.

Model motions for CLPs

This Constituency Labour Party condemns the reckless decision to block Andy Burnham from standing for election as a Labour MP.

This CLP notes that decisions about candidate suitability should rest with Labour Party members in Gorton and Denton, not a small clique.

This CLP believes that preventing members from exercising a democratic choice demonstrates an increasingly authoritarian approach by the Party leadership, placing factional interest above the success of Labour and our ability to defeat Reform.

This CLP further believes that Labour members must be trusted to select the candidate best placed to beat Reform and win for Labour.

This CLP therefore calls on the NEC to convene an emergency meeting to reverse this decision and allow Andy Burnham to be considered by members within a fair, open and democratic process by local members.

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/54059291938 Creator: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Str | Credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Str Copyright: Crown copyright. Licence: Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0 Deed