Labour deputy leader appears to warn against blocking Burnham by-election bid

Labour’s deputy leader appeared to warn against blocking Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, saying the decision should be left to local members.

Speaking at the Fabian Society’s annual conference in London, Lucy Powell did not explicitly call for Mr Burnham to stand for the seat, saying he would have to make up his own mind.

She added: “It should be up to Andy and the local members who will select their candidate, and our members are very discerning.”

Speculation has surrounded a possible return to Westminster for the mayor of Greater Manchester since Andrew Gwynne announced he would resign as an MP on health grounds on Thursday.

Mr Burnham, who is widely believed to have ambitions to lead the party, is yet to comment on whether he intends to stand.

But if he does put himself forward, he will have to apply to Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) for permission to do so by 5pm on Saturday.

Reports have suggested that supporters of the Prime Minister on the NEC may seek to block his candidacy, either out of fear it would destabilise the Government or to prevent another by-election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty.

Meanwhile, several figures within the party have called for Mr Burnham to be allowed to stand, with Ms Powell’s predecessor as deputy leader Angela Rayner expected to join them later on Saturday.

In London, Ms Powell said she wanted to see “the very best candidate” selected, and described Mr Burnham as “incredibly popular”.

Warning that the contest could be “the most consequential by-election” of the current Parliament, the Manchester Central MP said she did not want to see Reform UK or the Green Party “get a foothold into my city or into a northern city which they’ve not yet done before”.

Although Mr Gwynne retained the seat in 2024 with 51% of the vote, the collapse in Labour’s polling position means Gorton and Denton could be a tougher fight against both Reform and the Greens.