Andy Burnham can become a Labour MP – but not until 2028, Starmer suggests

Greater Manchester mayor, who the prime minister blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, due to finish his term in three years

Andy Burnham is welcome to run as an MP at the next general election, Sir Keir Starmer has suggested, just days after he blocked the mayor’s bid to re-enter parliament this year.

The Labour leader said it was a “matter for Andy” to decide what to do when his term as mayor of Greater Manchester ends in May 2028, a year before the next election has to be called.

That also opens up the possibility of Mr Burnham standing in 2028 if there is a by-election, of the kind he was barred from at the weekend.

The prime minister voted with other members of the party’s powerful national executive committee (NEC) ruling body to reject his potential leadership rival’s request to be allowed to stand in Gorton and Denton, by eight votes to one.

In a statement, the party said they wanted to avoid “an unnecessary election” to replace Mr Burnham as mayor.

But the move led to warnings of “bloodletting” within Labour and that the decision would hasten the departure of Sir Keir, under pressure over his leadership, from No 10.

The party now faces a tough challenge to cling on to what has traditionally been a Labour safe seat, and Sir Keir will face tough questions about his decision to block Mr Burnham should Reform or the Greens win the by-election.

The decision to block Burnham from standing in the upcoming by-election has been criticised by dozens of Labour MPs (PA)

On his way to China for the first visit from a British prime minister in eight years, Sir Keir insisted Labour was the only party that could beat Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the by-election.

The former MP Andrew Gwynne took the seat last year with 51 per cent of the vote. But since then, Labour has plummeted in the polls and is currently trailing Reform. On the left of Labour, meanwhile, the Greens have hoping to attract disgruntled Labour voters.

Sir Keir told reporters that Labour remained the best way to stop Nigel Farage’s party gaining another MP.

He said: “There’s only one party that can stop Reform and that’s the Labour Party.

“And we can already see what the by-election’s going to be about, which is Labour values – which are about delivering, focusing on the cost of living, with a strong record in that constituency of what we've already done – versus Reform.”

He said Reform’s candidate would bring a politics of “toxic division” to the contest.

He said: “That’s not what that constituency is about, that’s not what Manchester is about. So this is a straight fight between Labour and Reform.”

He also denied claims that Mr Burnham had been told ahead of his application that he had been told he would be barred from standing for the seat.

Asked if he would welcome Mr Burnham’s return to Westminster once his mayoral term ended, Sir Keir said: “That’s a matter for Andy.

“He did a really good job in parliament.

“My first job was working for Andy when I came in in 2015. I wanted to work for him; he wanted me to work for him, and we got through some really tricky legislation together and worked really well together. I supported his leadership campaign.”

He also praised him as an “excellent” mayor.

Labour is undergoing a selection process to choose its candidate for the constituency.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir’s former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner reportedly said she was “not dead yet”, and Labour’s leadership should “do better” in remarks at a private fundraising dinner last week.