Labour MPs Divided As Andy Burnham Eyes Westminster Return
Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham in 2024 | Alamy
5 min read
Andrew Gwynne’s resignation may have cleared a path for Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster, prompting a stark divide among Labour MPs and a fresh headache for Keir Starmer.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester is perceived as having been 'on manoeuvres' for months. He has been openly critical of Starmer’s leadership style and reported that Labour MPs have encouraged him to consider a leadership challenge, fuelling speculation about his intentions should a Commons seat become available.
As first reported by The Times, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is understood to be planning to publicly support Burnham on Saturday to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election – going against the current No 10 wish to block him.
Burnham’s support base within the parliamentary party, who sit on its soft left and left, are unhappy with the Prime Minister's performance and government’s direction of travel. They hope that improved communications and a stronger sense of purpose could turn things around for the party, which is polling badly.
“He's shown consistently that he's got a really clear vision for the sort of politics he wants to advance which I think would add a lot to the PLP,” Chris Hinchliff, Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire, said of Burnham.
“He's an incredibly talented politician. He's been at the forefront of Labour politics pretty much all my adult life, one way or another, all the time that I've been a Labour Party member. So he comes with a huge amount of experience, which I'm sure we would benefit from.”
Hinchliff is a member of the new Mainstream group within Labour, which has links to Burnham. Not all of its members believe a Burnham leadership would represent a panacea, however.
Clive Efford, a Mainstream member and chair of the soft-left Tribune group of MPs, warns: “I have no objection to Andy but the idea that he sweeps in and all our troubles are over is a fantasy.”
Many Labour MPs are furious about the idea that Burnham could enter the parliamentary party and be given a clear route to challenging Starmer for the leadership.
Several hostile MPs have told PoliticsHome they would refuse to knock on doors for him, even if asked.
“None of us are happy with the prospect of Burnham or would support him. He is not popular. We don’t want him,” a furious northern MP said.
“Efforts to install Andy Burnham as leader are a deliberate attempt from a group of MPs who used to be in Momentum trying to destabilise the government and re-establish their influence. They won’t get a Jeremy Corbyn again and figure Andy Burnham is malleable enough to fit their political ideology,” a loyalist MP said.
Labour is braced for a challenging set of local elections in May, with polling predicting a wipeout for Labour. A parliamentary by-election attracting a media circus and a major mayoral election that the party would risk losing are both seen as unnecessary distractions.
“At a time when we are gearing up for crucial elections, including in Scotland and Wales, the last thing we need is the Andy Burnham circus rolling into town which will only divert crucial resources,” another MP said.
“Andy Burnham should think about what’s best for the party for a change, rather than Andy Burnham.”
A London MP added: “It's easy to stand in the margins and do what he's been doing and agitating, but he's not going to get popular support in the PLP.”
Burnham has not yet revealed whether he will seek to stand for selection. The decision to allow or block his bid rests with Labour’s National Executive Committee, which must give its permission and will ultimately be responsible for the selection process.
Starmer now faces an awkward choice: permit a potential rival to re-enter Parliament or use his influence to block the move.
The Prime Minister is widely thought to have the numbers on the NEC to prevent Burnham from standing, which PoliticsHome understands is currently the leadership's plan, but allies believe blocking him from standing would be “unacceptable” and are prepared to put up a fight.
“If this process looks in any way like it's going to be a stitch-up, people are going to step up and speak out,” a Burnham supporting MP remarked.
Another added: “It's just creating a rod for their own backs if they exclude him.”
Jo White MP, leader of the Red Wall group, has emerged as an unlikely opponent of Burnham's blocking. She suggested in a post on X that he should be allowed to stand as a “London stitch up will be a disaster for Labour”.
Connor Naismith, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich in the North West, who is linked to the socially conservative but economically left-wing Blue Labour group, is another MP to have publicly called on the leadership not to block Burnham.
"Gorton and Denton deserves the best possible choice of candidates. I agree with the Prime Minister that our attention should be on delivering for the public, not speculating about future leadership contests. Any decision made to limit the choice would be wrong," he posted on X.
Polling from Britain Predicts suggests that, should Burnham stand in the Gorton and Denton seat, he would give Labour a chance of winning against Reform, as they are on level pegging at 31 per cent.
