Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as a candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election by Labour's national executive committee. The…

Much as I want someone to replace Starmer, this decision is not a big surprise, really. Aside from Starmer’s desire for self-preservation, Burnham becoming an MP would have forced a mayoral by-election in Manchester which Labour might well have lost (on current polling, Reform had a slight edge). Burnham had a chance to run as an MP in 2024 without causing that problem and decided not to, so it’s hard to feel too sorry for him.

  • flamingos-cant (hopepunk arc)@feddit.ukMEnglish
    5·
    14 hours ago

    Yeah, agree Starmer was in a real catch-22 here.

    The other thing about your rhetorical question is that it’s easy to turn it around: ‘Does anyone genuinely think that Burnham’s professional ambitions weren’t the primary factor in his decision to stand?’

    It’s not like Burnham pretended it was anything else, he’s not Robert Jenrick.