ANDY Burnham will not be allowed to stand as an MP – as he falls at the latest hurdle on his audacious route back to Westminster.
The “King of the North” has been denied permission by Labour’s ruling body – as the pressure looked to be ramping on embattled Keir Starmer.
Yesterday, Manchester’s mayor announced he was seeking approval from the National Executive Committee to stand as an MP in a by-election.
Mr Burnham – who served as an MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester for 16 years – said he felt “the need to go back” to Parliament.
Mr Burnham announced his audacious bid to return to Parliament in a statement yesterday afternoon.
It read: “I have come to the conclusion that this is the moment to mount the strongest possible defence of what we stand for.
THE SUN ON SUNDAY SAYS
With pals like Burnham & Rayner, Keir Starmer has no need of enemies
SLOW BURN
Andy Burnham officially launches Keir takeover plot as he bids to become MP
“In my current job, I have tried to pioneer a different way of doing things with some success.
“But I have learnt in my nine years as Mayor that Manchester won’t be able to be everything it should without similar changes at a national level.
“This is why I feel the need to go back.”
Some allies of Sir Keir Starmer were so desperate to stop Mr Burnham becoming an MP, they suggested Gary Neville should stand instead.
Sources say it illustrated how keen Downing Street was to stop the Manchester mayor, with some on the NEC also vowing to block his return.
But speaking at a Labour Unions event yesterday, Angela Rayner threw her support behind her close pal.
She said: “We’ve got the fight of our lives on and therefore we should be pulling together and we should put our best players on the pitch.”
“This about someone having the right to stand. How do we encourage people to stand – well we don’t block people.”
Her replacement, Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell, also weighed in on the debate.
Speaking at the Fabian Society conference in London, she said the decision to stand in the by-election “should be up to Andy and the local members”.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband also welcomed the bid.
Former party leader Mr Miliband remarked the Manchester mayor would be “a massive asset” in Parliament.
But one MP branded Mr Burnham’s bid “shameless” while another warned: “This is a no-win situation for Keir.”
A minister said some Labour MPs hope to use him as a “Trojan horse” to drag the party to the hard left.
And a senior Labour Party source said: “Andy just wants to get a seat in Westminster to get the big job.”