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Andy Burnham has said he is “disappointed” after Labour’s governing body blocked him from standing as an MP at the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.
Mr Burnham formally requested permission to stand for the contest on Saturday. As mayor of Manchester, he needed permission to contest a different political election.
Mr Burnham’s return to Westminster was seen by many as a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
Labour‘s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted to block the mayor’s request on Sunday.
Sky News understands the 10-person panel voted eight to one to block Mr Burnham’s bid, with only Deputy Leader Lucy Powell backing him. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, chair of the NEC – Labour’s governing body – abstained.
The prime minister was among those voting against Mr Burnham, joined by union figures and other Labour Party representatives.
Mr Burnham said he was “disappointed” by the decision, and said he was “concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us”.
But, he added: “To whoever is Labour’s candidate and to our members in Manchester and Tameside: you will have my full support and I will be there whenever you need me.”
A statement from the party said the reason behind the decision was the cost of running the campaigns for both a parliamentary seat and a Manchester mayoralty by-election.
It said: “Directly elected mayors and police and crime commissioners must seek the express permission of Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, before seeking nomination as a Labour candidate for the Westminster parliament in accordance with chapter 5, clause IV, 2 of the Labour Party rule book.
“This rule was put in place to avoid the party incurring unnecessary costs of running two simultaneous political…
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