Andy Burnham’s hopes of returning to the House of Commons for the first time in nine years have been dashed by his party’s ruling committee.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester wanted to become Labour’s candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, prompted by the resignation of suspended MP Andrew Gwynne.
In a letter to the chair of the committee, known as the NEC, Burnham explained he wanted to use his experience to help the government ‘go further and faster’.
‘I would be there to support the work of the government, not undermine it,’ he wrote.
But there were few people who doubted the Mayor has much grander ambitions – and may have had his eyes on Keir Starmer’s job.
This morning, the committee decided in a meeting they would not allow Burnham to apply as a candidate.
Want to understand more about how politics affects your life?
Metro’s senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down all the chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
