Kier Starmer has spoken for the first time since the Labour National Executive blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by election
The Labour leader insisted the decision not to allow Andy Burnham to run in an upcoming by-election is correct, because doing so would “divert our resources”.
He said that there was “no question of me and Andy not working very well together”
Instead he said
“We have really important elections already across England for local councils, very important elections in Wales for the government there and very important elections in Scotland for the Scottish Government that will affect millions of people. And we’re out campaigning on the cost of living, and they’re very important elections.
“We need all of our focus on those elections.
“Andy Burnham’s doing a great job as the mayor of Manchester, but having an election for the mayor of Manchester when it’s not necessary would divert our resources away from the elections that we must have, that we must fight and win.
“And resources, whether that’s money or people, need to be focused on the elections that we must have, not elections that we don’t have to have. And that was the basis of the NEC decision.”
