Andy Burnham has formally put himself forward to stand for parliament in the Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton in what could be the first move in a campaign to replace Keir Starmer.
The Greater Manchester mayor has announced that he has applied to be a candidate in the upcoming byelection, having submitted an application before the deadline of 5pm on Saturday.
His application will have to be accepted by Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) but some of its members have predicted that the party’s ruling body, which is dominated by Starmer allies, will try to prevent Burnham’s return to parliament.
The byelection was called this week after the resignation of the former minister Andrew Gwynne, who announced he was standing down because of ill health.
Gwynne was formally appointed the crown steward and bailiff of the Manor of Northstead on Friday, which allows him to give up his seat in the House of Commons.
The possibility of Burnham, 56, replacing Gwynne, 51, has long been rumoured, because he is considered one of the favourites to replace the prime minister were he to be toppled.
Speculation rose to a fever pitch at the party’s conference in Liverpool last year, when Burnham told the Telegraph that Labour MPs had contacted him over the summer to stand after becoming concerned at Starmer’s unpopularity.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, both told the Fabian Society’s conference on Saturday that Burnham should be allowed to stand.
Khan told the event in central London: “I’m a firm believer in the best team having all the talent playing for them, and if Andy wants to return to parliament, I will try and make some time between now and the byelection to knock on some doors for him.”
Meanwhile Powell, who represents the Manchester Central constituency, said the NEC should be wary of blocking Burnham from standing.
She said it should be up to Burnham and party members in the constituency whether he is allowed to be the Labour candidate. She praised Burnham as “incredibly popular” and as having changed Manchester “for the better”.
She said: “It should be up to Andy and the local members who will select their candidate, and our members are very discerning.”
Powell also that the byelection could easily be lost to Reform UK or the Green party if the wrong candidate was selected.
“In that context, I always want to see the very best candidate, the person who can most help Labour win in that very difficult byelection,” she said.
“I want to see the best candidates come forward and be able to come forward and help us win.”
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