Row erupts within UK’s governing Labour Party after popular mayor blocked from upcoming election

LONDON (AP) — A row erupted Sunday within Britain’s governing Labour Party after the ambitious mayor of Manchester was prevented from trying to re-enter Parliament at a special election in the city, with critics claiming Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not want to see a potentially dangerous rival back in the House of Commons.

Andy Burnham, who has been in charge of the Greater Manchester region since 2017 and has expressed interest in being Labour leader in the future, made a request to the party’s governing committee on Saturday to stand as the candidate in the upcoming election for the Gorton and Denton constituency.

The request stoked speculation that Burnham wants to be in place in Parliament for a possible challenge to Starmer’s leadership if a raft of elections this May — Britain’s equivalent to the midterms — go as badly as many in Labour are fearing.

If current opinion polls are any guide, Labour is expected to lose Wales for the first time since the legislature was created in 1999, fall way short of reclaiming power in Scotland and get battered in local elections in England.

Other parties, including the anti-immigration Reform U.K. and the Greens, have been the main beneficiaries of Labour’s apparent drop in support.

Burnham, 56, voiced his disappointment at the decision to block him in a post on X and his concerns about “its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us.”

He said his “full focus” will be on his current job and defend “everything we have built” over many years.

“I decided to put myself forward to prevent the divisive politics of Reform from damaging that,” he said. “We are stronger together and let’s stay that way.”

Burnham, who served in Labour governments in the 2000s, is widely known as the “King of the North” in reference to his electoral popularity and the television fantasy show “Game of Thrones.” He has twice before fought for the Labour leadership.

If he had been allowed to run in the traditionally safe Labour seat and won, he would have to stand down from his job as mayor, meaning there would be another special election there. Burnham’s third term ends in May 2028.

The cost associated with that potential campaign was one of the main reasons why the party’s executive body blocked Burnham.

Labour said the 10-strong group of Labour’s National Executive Committee, which included Starmer himself, had decided to deny Burnham permission to stand in order to avoid “an unnecessary election” for Manchester mayor that “would have a substantial and disproportionate impact on party campaign resources.”

Since winning July 2024’s general election by a landslide, Labour has seen its poll ratings tank, partly because of a series of policy missteps, which have been directly linked to Starmer’s decision-making.

Though Burnham insisted he would be a team player in his request on Saturday, many Starmer allies appear unconvinced given he has expressed several views that put him at odds with the prime minister, notably on economic policy.

Labour lawmaker John Slinger said the “quick and clear decision” meant the party could “move on from the damaging introspection and psychodrama of the last week” and “pull together” behind the eventual candidate.

Others, particularly from the more left-leaning side of the party, were aghast at the decision.

Former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh said it was “incredibly disappointing” and called for the NEC to “change course and make the right decision.”