Andy Burnham blocked from re-entering parliament.

Ilovecheese

There was a good policy announced today. Ground rents are to be capped at £250 per year. Why announce that when Starmer is out of the country? What a missed opportunity for him to announce it himself and show that he is actually doing things.

He did announce it himself on TikTok

eazybee

What I take from this current charade involving Andy Burnham is that Starmer has absolutely no intention of stepping down, even if the remaining local elections (always assuming they are allowed to take place) are even more disastrous than predicted, and that he will use every scrap of his legal know-how to remain in power.
What his intentions for the future are unclear but the concerns of the electorate or his party do not predominate.
As for forming a pact with the Lib Dems , the ones where I live are mostly Labour anyway, recalling student politics from long ago, champagne socialists to a person, but support Lib Dems because they are committed to changing as little as possible of their very comfortable lifestyles. They support labour policies particularly because they don't actually impinge on them here but are awfully good for the rest of the country.

Why on earth would he stand down? Democratically elected with a whopping great majority, he doesn’t need to resort to legal know how to stay in post! He was elected for a 5 year term. Anyone who honestly expected a turnaround of the appalling state of the economy as they took it on was incredibly naive and unrealistic. That people’s daft expectations haven’t been fulfilled is on them. Let’s see if things are on the up in 3 years, shall we?

Ilovecheese

Longest waits (65+/78+ weeks) - Substantial reduction
Overall 18-week performance - Below target
A&E & ambulance standards - Below constitutional standards
Cancer diagnosis & treatment - Improving and at high levels
GP appointments & workforce - Expanding capacity
Productivity - Growing modestly

Waits of over 78 weeks have been reduced by about 93% from their peak. So it’s been a good start, and although some areas are taking longer than others, each improvement allows attention to shift elsewhere and helps progress accelerate. Overall, I’m quite impressed, especially given this is still the early part of a five-year plan.

GrannyGravy13

Ilovecheese

There was a good policy announced today. Ground rents are to be capped at £250 per year. Why announce that when Starmer is out of the country? What a missed opportunity for him to announce it himself and show that he is actually doing things.

He did announce it himself on TikTok

Well that is something I suppose.

Andy Burnham is a great Mayor. He should stick with that role. Up here they call him the king of the north, he’s not my king.
I doubt most of the Westminster politicians know anything about him. Hopefully another failed power grab from John McDonald and the ridiculous Jeremy Corbyn.

Some letters in today’s Times. The one from a former MEP is interesting…
Sir, Andy Burnham complains that after 30 years in the Labour Party he deserved better than to hear about Labour's national executive committee decision via the media. But if after those 30 years you try to stage a coup against your party leader you surely forfeit your right to normal courtesies. Contrast that with the quiet dignity and decency of the prime minister.
Sir Leigh Lewis
Permanent secretary, Department for Work and Pensions 2005-10; Watford
Sir, The blocking of Andy Burnham from standing for Labour in the Gorton & Denton by-election has been defended by Steve Reed on the grounds of serving out his four-year term as mayor. This argument raises the question as to why MPs who defect to another party are allowed to continue representing their new party when not elected to it. Should they also be blocked from continuing as MPs, as they too have not served the term for which they were elected?
Barry Thorne
Hessett, Suffolk
Sir, However much I, and many other Labour Party stalwarts, admire Andy Burnham, the national executive committee is right to be consistent in refusing to create an unnecessary by-election for Greater Manchester mayor. When I served as a Labour MEP it was always made clear that we could not contest a Commons seat as it would create a European parliamentary by-election. Likewise sitting Labour MPs at Westminster were told they were unable to contest a seat in the European parliament.
Burnham is doing a great job in Manchester and at some point we'd be delighted to have him back in Westminster and on the front bench, but this is not the time or the way.
David Hallam
Labour MEP 1994-99; Smethwick, West Midlands

But if after those 30 years you try to stage a coup against your party leader you surely forfeit your right to normal courtesies.

He didn't stage a coup.

He wanted to stand for election as an MP.

This argument raises the question as to why MPs who defect to another party are allowed to continue representing their new party when not elected to it. Should they also be blocked from continuing as MPs, as they too have not served the term for which they were elected?

Well said, Barry Thorne 👏👏👏

They're the ones who are not doing their jobs and representing their constituents in the way they were chosen to do.

Burnham didn't stage a coup, what nonsense. He asked the NEC permission to stand as an MP in a by election. After 10 years serving successfully as Mayor he would like to take the by-election risk ( success not a foregone conclusion) with the aim, at some stage, of returning to Westminster to serve in Government. Would he like to throw his hat in the ring for PM post at some stage- yes along with others. This happens in every party.

Burnham is entitled to steer his career in this way and by election opportunities close to home don't frequently arise . I don't understand why some feel he has yet been treacherous by making such a request. He also deserved the courtesy of being told the NEC decision before finding out from the media- that's not the way the NEC should be treating a successful Labour Mayor and not a good look.

I suppose the result in the by election might have some influence on Starmer's future policy and political decisions.
if Reform take the seat that could encourage him to continue to follow their lead with the emphasis on small boat crossings above all else.
If the Greens take the seat or come a close second them perhaps Labour might try a few more leftish policies to try and reduce poverty by a more redistributive method, or have a look at renationalising our failing water system.

I also agree with Lemonjam about Andy Burnham, why shouldn't he have ambition. I think he was taken by surprise by the retirement of the sitting MP, he didn't expect it to happen quite so quickly, and had a decision to make.
Starmer should also have made sure that he gave him the news himself before it was leaked to the media.

He made a commitment to the people of Manchester. He should honour it imo.

Ambition as the MP’s who defected to Reform

All those in public representatives/ appointments commit to serve in their role for the given term- Local Councillors 4 years, MPs up to 5 years, Mayors 4 years etc. There is an expectation and hope they will serve their full term but there is no obligation, legal or otherwise to do so. They can resign, die, defect to another party etc.

Burnham made a request to serve as a Labour MP mid term of his third 4 year term as a Labour mayor because an opportunity to try and get elected in a local by election arose. He would still be representing the Labour Party and a local constituency if successfully elected.

Other MPs step back for health and personal reasons thereby not serving at all. Burnham does not want to give up serving a constituency in a public role and remains committed to serving as a Labour member.

Boz

I like AB and he has been done a favour.
He would have lost at Gorton and really been out in the cold.

Also,who in their right mind would want to be leader of Labour at this moment of time.

Keep steady with what you have Mr.Burnham and try to keep Reform out of Manchester.

Well said,

Ah, the love of a dastardly plot baddies and goodies narrative.
Never as simple in RL.

(Yes Burnham should have been told, of course).

Yes as things stand I hope he will be our PM, in the future, I'm a member of Mainstream the left-of-centre-lot.

But tbh I don't think the timing is right. We need him as a strong Major along with the other Labour Northern Mayors, like local to me, Oliver Coppard.

Here we go- GB News presenter and former academic Matt Goodwin named as Reform UK's candidate in Gorton and Denton. Reform UK has announced that Matt Goodwin, the campaigner and former academic, as its candidate in Gorton and Denton. In a news release, Reform said:

Matt is a leading writer, broadcaster and academic. He was made by Manchester - which he calls ‘the greatest city in the world’. He lived in the city for many years and considers it home. Matt’s family is from Manchester. His grandfather worked full time in a Manchester steel factory. His grandmother worked for the University of Salford, which Matt later attended.

Both his parents worked for the NHS in Manchester - his father ran the Greater Manchester Health Authority and his mother went to college in the city before working for the health board.
Matt was the first person in his family to go to university - he went to the University of Salford. He worked throughout his degree, even delivering fast food in the Gorton and Denton area. As an academic, Goodwin made his name studying rightwing populism and, with Rob Ford, now a politics professor, he published an acclaimed book about Ukip in 2014, Revolt on the Right.

But over time Goodwin moved from being a student of national populism to being an advocate for it, and now he is a commentator and GB News presenter.

Commenting on his selection as a candidate, Goodwin said:

This byelection is a referendum on Keir Starmer. It is a chance for the people of Gorton and Denton to have their say on Keir Starmer and make history. I will stand up for the local people of Gorton and Denton against the broken Westminster establishment. I will demand Britain fixes its borders, invests in our National Health Service, and clamps down on crime and antisocial behaviour.

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said the byelection would give voters a chance “to get rid of Keir Starmer and change the direction of this country”.

Three very interesting letters MayBee. Thank you for sharing them.

Farage does talk some piffle doesn’t he! How does he think a by election result will ‘get rid of Keir Starmer and change the direction of this country’ , exactly? Dream on.

That is a good choice for Reform. Very plausible.
Labour better come up with someone equal to him.

Labour civil war continues. ITV’s political editor, Robert Peston posted on X, saying sources “close to the PM” saw Burnham’s move to stand as an explicit attempt to destabilise Starmer. That unnamed Keir Starmer allies stated that Burnham had been told “in no uncertain terms” that any request to the NEC committee to put his name forward for the byelection “would be refused”.

Burnham reacted and wrote: “This is simply untrue.”
Peston then sent a follow-up X message saying a second source had backed up Burnham’s version of events, adding that Burnham was “seeking an urgent call with No 10 about the briefing”.

Is this a No 10 Burnham stitch up? If so this will back fire badly on Starmer and the government.

Or on Burnham. No doubt the truth will out, whatever it is. Robert Peston does generally have good sources though.

His allies have history. Starmer was challenged last November in PMQ, after some of his "allies" told numerous media outlets he could face a leadership challenge from another cabinet minister such as Wes Streeting. Starmer insisted in PMQ he had never authorised attacks on cabinet ministers, calling briefings against them "unacceptable. Streeting stood up for himself well then as Burnham is seeking to do now.

Starmer won't be at PMQs tomorrow.

The truth is not out until it’s out LemonJam. By the sounds of it there is something there, but you are making assumptions until you know the facts.

Here is the actual story on ITV News.
www.itv.com/news/2026-01-27/andy-burnham-says-it-is-simply-untrue-that-he-knew-he-would-be-blocked
What it seems to boil down to is that nobody directly said in adavance to Burnham that if he applied he would be blocked. As the NEC Executive made the decision subsequently, that is logical, surely? What we can’t know is how big the hints were, and whether he heard them clearly..