The Labour party faced the prospect of civil war on Sunday night after Keir Starmer and his allies blocked Andy Burnham’s return to parliament to stave off a potential leadership challenge.

There was widespread anger among Labour MPs and union backers after the 10-strong “officers’ group” of the party’s ruling body, including the prime minister himself, voted overwhelmingly to reject Burnham’s request to seek selection for the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection.

The national executive committee said picking Burnham would require a hugely expensive and destabilising election to replace him as mayor of Greater Manchester less than halfway through his four-year term.

But MPs from across the party – many despairing at Starmer’s leadership and not all of them natural allies of Burnham – condemned the “petty factionalism”. Another called the decision a “huge mistake”, while a third said the leadership was “mad” not to make more of the self-styled “King of the North”.