Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been barred by Labour’s ruling body from standing as a candidate in the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton, stopping his bid to return to Westminster.
The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 8-1 against allowing Burnham to step down as mayor of Manchester to run in the by-election.
Burnham has been flirting with a return to parliament. Last week, Labour MP Andrew Gwynne announced he would step down as an MP, and it looked like Burnham’s chance had finally come. Burnham announced his plans to stand for the seat on Saturday afternoon, publishing a letter confirming his intention.
In a statement following the NEC decision, the Labour Party said: “Andy Burnham is doing a great job as Mayor of Greater Manchester. We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary Mayoral election, which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost of living crisis.”
Burnham has yet to react publicly to the news.