Labour’s National Executive is set to meet this morning to make a decision over Andy Burnham’s decision to apply to stand in the forthcoming by election in Gorton and Denton
There is much speculation whether they will allow him to stand and whether Kier Starmer’s allies will attempt to block his return to Parliament
As a directly elected mayor, Burnham must obtain their approval to stand before he can enter the race to be the party’s candidate.
Ten people will decide his fate and they are understood to be:
- Shabana Mahmood MP (Chair of Labour’s NEC)
- Peter Wheeler (Vice Chair of Labour’s NEC)
- Keir Starmer MP (Leader of the Labour Party)
- Lucy Powell (Deputy Leader of the Labour Party)
- Mike Payne (NEC Treasurer)
- Ellie Reeves (Frontbench Representative)
- Keiran O’Neill (GMB Representative)
- Tom Williams (USDAW Representative)
- Abdi Duale (CLP Representative)
- Gurinder Singh Josan (PLP Representative
Speaking this morning the Chair of the NEC Shabana Mahmood said that Andy Burnham is a “fantastic mayor for Greater Manchester” and she “really appreciated” his letter to her yesterday, which was written in a “fair-minded way”.
“I play these things with a straight bat.”
Once source says that there is no way Andy Burnham will be approved by the NEC as the “numbers aren’t there”.
The ten could also impose a black and minority ethnic, or an all female shortlist.
Even if selected it would only then be the start of a further process against other candidates including a hustings process
Many Labour bigwigs have come out in support for the Mayor including Ed Miliband saying he would be a “massive asset in Parliament” as well as Lucy Powell, the deputy Labour leader, and Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, also backing his return to Westminster.
If selected and with the spotlight on the constituency Burnham could find himself up against high profile candidates including George Galloway and Zak Polanski while Nigel Farage has already indicated that he would throw the preverbial kitchen sink into the campaign
Meanwhile the question arises as to what effect any resignation as Mayor will have on the region
Many times Burnham promised the people of Manchester he’d see out his full term as mayor while there is a real worry that a Mayoral election could open the door for Reform
In theory an ejection could be delayed until 2028 with a deputy Mayor such as Kate Green or Salford’s Paul Dennett stepping in but would Greater Manchester’s voters stand for that scenario?
