Andy Burnham could be lining up a celebrity successor such as former footballer Gary Neville as Mayor of Greater Manchester in order to stand for Parliament, Labour sources suggested.
Burnham, dubbed the King of the North, has yet to declare if he will run in the Gorton and Denton by-election, vacated yesterday by shamed former minister Andrew Gwynne.
There are several obstacles in the way to Burnham taking the seat, including the cost he would inflict on the Labour Party.
By leaving the mayoralty open to challenge from Reform UK, Burnham would be diverting campaign funds away from other Labour council seats in May.
The i Paper reported on Thursday that allies of the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, are also moving to block Burnham returning to Parliament over fears he could challenge for the leadership.
One way of offsetting the cost of a mayoral election would be to have a big-ticket name to take Burnham’s place as mayor.
With instant name recognition and a history of supporting the Labour Party, Neville would be well-placed, Labour insiders said.
“If you’re Andy it’s better to have the promise of a big gun rather than popping some unknown council leader on the ballot as the mayoral candidate, then [the mayoralty] falling to Nigel Farage,” the Labour insider told The i Paper.
“I think he has somebody in mind in the shape of Gary Neville. Whether or not the party members would respond to that I don’t know,” the source added.
Starmer loyalists looking to block Burnham
Neville, the footballer turned TV pundit, hotelier, property developer and university founder is a Labour member and appeared with Starmer in an election party political broadcast.
There is no indication he would want to stand.
Burnham, who has spent the past year publicly flirting with a return to Westminster, is seen as one the leading candidate to replace Starmer as party leader and prime minister after a turbulent 18 months in power.
Sir Keir Starmer’s loyalists are already mounting a campaign to prevent Burnham from standing. The ‘King of the North’ has yet to declare if he will run in Gorton and Denton, but already party figures are trying to put roadblocks in his way.
Earlier a minister heavily suggested Burnham should stay in his comfort zone in Greater Manchester, where his term as mayor runs until 2028.
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Health and Social Care Stephen Kinnock pointedly told BBC Breakfast Burnham is “doing a great job in the role that he currently has” and is “an incredibly talented and effective leader as the mayor of Greater Manchester.”
Neville’s agent and Burnham’s office were approached for comment.
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