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.
I’m not convinced Burnham would be much better either. He had a fairly Blairite run as a minister and, given how open he is about his political ambitions, I would be worried about another bait-and-switch like Starmer’s brief tack to the left during the leadership campaign. He is at least more charismatic than Starmer, but so are most people to be fair.