Andy Burnham seeks permission to stand in by-election

Andy Burnham has announced that he is seeking permission to stand in the upcoming Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election.

Currently mayor of Greater Manchester, he insisted he wants to back the Labour government “not undermine it” and said that the decision to announce his intentions had been “difficult”.

The seat in Greater Manchester is vacant after Andrew Gwynne stood down on Friday as an MP on health grounds.

If he won the by-election, Burnham could mount a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer but the BBC has been told that allies of the prime minister may try and block him from standing in the constituency.

As a directly-elected mayor, Burnham has to get approval from Labour’s ruling national executive committee before he can enter the race to be the party’s candidate.

Several Labour MPs have reacted angrily to the suggestion that he could be blocked from standing.

Some senior figures in the party have also said they believe Burnham should be allowed to stand.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said: “If Andy Burnham wants to be a member of Parliament, Andy Burnham should be allowed to be a member of Parliament”.