Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has publicly questioned Labour’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton & Denton by-election, saying the Greater Manchester mayor should have been allowed to seek selection for Parliament.
Nandy’s intervention reopens an internal Labour row following the party’s defeat in the Greater Manchester seat last month, when the Greens won, Reform UK came second and Labour was pushed into third place in a constituency it had held for decades.
Speaking to *The Herald*, Nandy said she would have preferred the choice of candidate to be made by local party members and constituents rather than by Labour’s National Executive Committee. Burnham, a former Labour MP and ex-health secretary, had sought to use the by-election to return to Westminster.
The seat was vacated after Andrew Gwynne resigned on health grounds on 22 January. Burnham formally asked the NEC two days later for permission to stand, which is required under party rules for sitting directly elected mayors.
On 25 January, the NEC officers’ group voted 8-1 against allowing him to run. Sir Keir Starmer was among those reported to have opposed the move. Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell was the only member to vote in favour, while NEC chair and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood abstained.
Labour defended the decision at the time, saying Burnham was doing “a great job” as mayor and arguing that letting him stand would have triggered an “unnecessary” Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, bringing extra cost and disruption.
Burnham said after the ruling that he was “disappointed” and “concerned” about the effect it could have on upcoming elections. He also criticised the way the decision was leaked to the media before he had been formally informed.
The move drew criticism from within the party. Around 50 Labour MPs and several peers were reported to have urged the NEC to reverse its decision and allow Burnham on to the shortlist. Trade unions including Unison also attacked the move, saying local members had been denied a say.
Labour instead selected Manchester councillor Angeliki Stogia, but the party suffered a sharp defeat in the by-election on 26 February. Green candidate Hannah Spencer won with 40.7% of the vote, ahead of Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin on 28.7%, while Labour finished third on 25.4%.
The result was a significant setback for Labour in a seat it had held continuously since 1931 and intensified scrutiny of the party’s handling of candidate selections and internal dissent.
Burnham has served as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017 and represented Leigh in the House of Commons from 2001 until 2017. His attempt to return to Westminster was widely seen as a major political test, both for him and for Labour’s leadership.
Nandy is one of the most senior figures in government to break publicly with the party’s handling of the contest, adding fresh pressure on Labour over a decision that has continued to divide senior figures weeks after the by-election defeat.
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