The National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, its main decision-making body, gave the green light this Friday for the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to run in the by-election in the Makerfield constituency. With this authorization, the mayor overcomes the first hurdle in his attempt to regain a seat in the House of Commons and, in the medium term, position himself to challenge the current British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, for leadership.
"The Labour Party's governing body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), has today authorized Andy Burnham to stand as a candidate in the upcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency," a party spokesperson confirmed to 'The Guardian'.
According to this newspaper, Burnham would have received the 'green light' even before formalizing his request to the Committee, as its members would have agreed by email to approve any request for an exemption submitted by the current mayor. "Regardless of one's opinion on recent events in the party, we have this by-election and he is our best option to win it, so we must support him," one of the NEC members indicated to that outlet.
If he finally manages to win the seat — something complicated by the advance of the ultra-nationalist Reform UK in Makerfield — Burnham will need the support of at least 81 Labour MPs to trigger an internal process that opens a contest for the party leadership.
"Much greater change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to become affordable again. That is why I am seeking people's support to return to Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the United Kingdom and to make politics work properly for the people," the mayor expressed on social media in a message disseminated on the eve.
This new internal shake-up in Labour comes after the party's strong setback in the local elections on May 7, in which Nigel Farage's party gained ground and the Greens made a strong showing in several London constituencies.
For now, Starmer resists the pressures of his critics and has refused to abandon his post, arguing that a resignation would only increase political "chaos" in the United Kingdom, despite the fact that in the last week at least four members of his Government have left their posts to force a change in leadership.