Labour was facing civil war within its ranks on Sunday after Sir Keir Starmer dramatically blocked his leadership rival Andy Burnham from running for Parliament.
The Labour Party National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 8-1 against Burnham being allowed to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election, with the Prime Minister among those voting against his leadership rival.
Leftwing Labour MPs condemned the decision as “disgusting” and “factional”, but the opposition was not confined to the Left, with one moderate minister telling The i Paper the move looked “weak” and “cowardly”.
Burnham described the decision as “disappointing”, saying he was “concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us”.
In an apparent dig at Starmer and the NEC, he added: “The fact that the media was informed of the NEC decision before I was tells you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days. You would think that over 30 years of service would count for something but sadly not.”
However, others in the party accused the Greater Manchester Mayor of wilfully plunging Labour into infighting in pursuit of his own ambitions.
There was also concerns among Starmer allies that the fallout from the affair could be exploited as a “pretext” by other leadership contenders such as the Health Secretary Wes Streeting to mount their own challenge to the Prime Minister.
I am disappointed by today’s NEC decision and concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us.To whoever is Labour’s candidate and to our members in Manchester and Tameside: you will have my full support and I will be there whenever you need me.1/2
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) January 25, 2026On Sunday, Starmer demonstrated the tight grip he retains on Labour’s key decision-making bodies with the overwhelming vote against giving Burnham, in which the PM is understood to have led discussions arguing it was inappropriate for him to end his mayoral term early.
The Gorton and Denton seat has been vacated by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne on health grounds, but Burnham was forced to seek permission from the NEC to stand because doing so would mean giving up his current role.
After the NEC outcome, Labour said Burnham had been blocked because of the cost of holding an “unnecessary” mayoral by-election.
‘You have hastened your demise’
The news of the result immediately triggered a volley of criticism from MPs on the Left of the party.
In a “message to Keir” posted on X, the former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, said: “Do not underestimate the depth of anger people will feel about this disgusting decision. If you think it strengthens you I tell you it will simply hasten your demise. You could have shown magnanimous leadership but instead it’s cowardice.”
Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, said: “Starmer and his clique have shown they’re prepared to lose Gorton and Denton to Reform – just to protect narrow factional interests. It’s weak leadership – and will only deepen the crisis the party is in.”
And Nadia Whittome, the MP for Nottingham East, claimed that “Labour right apparatchiks care more about settling personal scores than winning elections”.
“They’re destroying the only electoral vehicle currently capable of stopping a proto-fascist government in 2029,” she added.
However, others blamed Burnham for opening wounds in the party by trying to get a Commons seat from which he could launch a future leadership bid.
Graham Stringer, the veteran Labour MP for the Manchester seat of Blackley and Middleton South, told The i Paper: “Andy put the Labour Party in a position where whatever it decided there was going to be internal fighting.
“I didn’t want Andy to stand, it leaves the back door open to Reform in the county.
“Had they let him stand, it would have been high risk. Not letting him stand is a risk of real internal party fighting.
“He’s entitled to his ambitions, but timing is important and he’d made a promise to stay the full term [as mayor].”
Allies of Starmer said they fear the decision could be used as a ‘pretext’ for a leadership bid by Wes Streeting (Source: AFP)A Labour MP from the 2024 intake told The i Paper the party had been caught in an “unfortunate catch-22 which I would have hoped Andy Burnham had the self-awareness to avoid.”
“Personal ambition always overrides,” they said. “He knew exactly what he was doing. Block him and people say democracy is being hindered. Allow him to stand and you unleash months of ‘will he, won’t he, when will he’ leadership melodrama.
“There can be no excuse for a Labour Party, in government for the first time in a generation, to allow itself to be dragged into the same types of leadership personality issues that dragged down the Tories. That is not what so many of us newer MPs fought for over many months before the 2024 election.”
An MP loyal to Starmer said the NEC’s decision was unsurprising given Burnham’s criticism of the Prime Minister’s leadership and Rachel Reeves’ economic policy.
“No one who had publicly criticised a Labour Prime Minister and Chancellor would ever get through a by-election interview panel,” they said. “There isn’t a get-out clause because you’re famous and you’re a mayor and you want to run for leader.
On the Labour divisions, they said: “I’m sure there will be a lot of people that are very angry, but I suspect most of them are probably the people that are already very angry.”
The MP said that if Burnham had been permitted to be the by-election candidate the “whole thing would have been a circus”.
“[The press would be] following every canvas session bellowing at him, ‘do you back Rachel Reeves’ economic policy, has Keir Starmer got your confidence?’ And every minister or MP that came to campaign would have had the same treatment.”
‘Who wins? Wes.’
There were concerns among Starmer allies on Sunday evening that Streeting or other leadership contenders might try to exploit the upset over the NEC decision.
Reports in one Sunday newspaper suggested supporters of Streeting believe he would command the support of up to 200 Labour MPs in a leadership contest. Streeting has previously denied planning a leadership challenge and said on Sunday his “entire focus” was on his role as Health Secretary.
On Saturday, Streeting had criticised “disgraceful” briefings against Burnham and had dodged the question of whether he should be allowed to stand. Streeting said it was a decision for “the party not the cabinet” and added: “I have been told in no uncertain terms that that is my answer to the question.”
The MP loyal to Starmer told The i Paper: “It could be used as some sort of pretext by Wes to make a move, which would be odd that the candidate to the right of Keir would present himself as the champion of aggrieved members who didn’t get to make a choice or whatever.”
They added: “I’ve come out of the last 48 hours more determined to protect Keir, because I think the behaviour of all the leadership candidates has been a bit craven. It’s made me think I don’t really trust any of these people, they all just seem to want to get the top job and not be thinking about the wider interests of the party.”
One minister told The i Paper that Starmer’s blocking of Burnham looked “weak, cowardly and another injury to an already broken man [the Prime Minister].
They added: “Who wins? Wes.”
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