Labour’s National Executive Committee has cleared the path for Andy Burnham to stand in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
A party spokesperson said the ruling body had given the Mayor of Greater Manchester permission to stand in the candidate selection process.
Earlier, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Burnham represented Labour’s “best chance” of winning the “tough” by-election.
It comes after Josh Simons MP announced on Thursday he would quit Parliament to make way for the mayor.
If successful, Mr Burnham is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency.”
Labour expects a stiff challenge from Reform UK in Makerfield, with Mr Simons securing a majority of just 5,399 over Nigel Farage’s party at the 2024 general election.
Since then, Labour’s polling collapse and Reform’s surge have seen their positions reverse.
Following Mr Simons' resignation, Mr Farage said: “We look forward to the contest and we will throw absolutely everything at it.”
On Thursday, Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary, while former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner revealed that she had been cleared by HMRC of deliberate wrongdoing over her tax affairs, clearing the way for a potential tilt at the top job.
Sir Keir has faced mounting calls to quit in the wake of Labour’s disastrous local election results last week.
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When will Labour's candidate be announced?
After saying Andy Burnham would be allowed to stand in the upcoming by-election, Labour’s NEC opened applications for the Makerfield selection process.
The deadline for applications is Monday.
The governing body will endorse a candidate to run for the seat in the Greater Manchester constituency on Thursday.
Watch: 'No attempt' to block Burnham from standing, says Labour deputy leader
How could the Makerfield by-election play out?
Labour expects a stiff challenge from Reform UK in Makerfield. The current MP, Josh Simons, won a majority of just 5,399 over Nigel Farage’s party at the 2024 general election.
Since then, Labour has seen its support collapse while Reform’s has surged.
This month’s local elections saw Reform win every council ward in the Makerfield constituency, securing around half the vote, while Labour won only a little more than a quarter.
But Mr Burnham could benefit from his strong personal following across the North West, where he enjoys a net favourability rating of 24 per cent according to pollster Ipsos – considerably higher than any of the party leaders or the Labour Party itself.
Andy Burnham has been granted permission to stand in the Makerfield by-election - what now?
The NEC’s decision to allow Andy Burnham to stand in the Makerfield by-election comes after he was blocked from the Gorton and Denton contest earlier this year.
The NEC has also confirmed the timetable for the selection process, with applications set to close on Monday, May 18, ahead of a selection meeting on 21 May.
No date has yet been confirmed for the by-election itself, as the writ must still be moved in Parliament before the timetable can be formally set.
And Andy Burnham still has to secure selection as the local Labour Party’s candidate.
Andy Burnham can run in the Makerfield by-election
The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham will be included in Labour’s candidate selection process for the Makerfield by-election, the party said.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency.”
NEC gives Andy Burnham permission to run in the Makerfield by-election
Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, has given the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham permission to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield by-election, a party spokesman said.
'Anyone who does not want to follow Starmer's election mandate should call a general election,' Badenoch says
Kemi Badenoch has said that anyone who does not want to “follow” Sir Keir Starmer’s election mandate should call for a general election.
Speaking to the Press Association at an electrical engineering manufacturer in Saffron Walden, in her constituency of North West Essex on Friday, the Conservative Party leader said: “Labour were elected on a particular mandate. Anyone who does not want to follow that mandate should call a general election.
“The truth is, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s Keir Starmer, Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, or someone else.
“The problem is the Labour Party. They did not have a plan for government; they only had a plan to win an election.”
It comes after Wes Streeting backed Andy Burnham as Labour’s “best chance” of winning the Makerfield by-election, as the former health secretary’s allies said he would still contest any battle for the party leadership.
The leader of the Opposition also told PA that her party “will announce a candidate for that by-election in due course”.
Tories will have a candidate standing in the Makerfield by-election says Badenoch
The Conservatives will have a candidate standing in the Makerfield by-election, Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch says.
Speaking to the media during a visit to North Essex, she adds that the Labour party is in "chaos".
"Andy Burnham wants to rock up and just be prime minister despite being out of parliament for a decade," she says.
She adds that the Tories are the "one party" holding them to account in Parliament.
How Starmer fell from election triumph to fighting for his life
Sir Keir Starmer’s fall from general election victory to the brink of being ousted as Prime Minister has happened at extraordinary speed.
He took Labour to a landslide victory in July 2024, with more than 400 MPs from his party elected to Parliament.
Just 674 days later he faced the start of moves to force him out of Downing Street.
Former Greens leader wants party to avoid by-electiob
Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has suggested that the party should not contest the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
Caroline Lucas, who was MP for Brighton Pavilion between 2010 and 2024, made the comments on X in response to reporting that the Greens were starting the process of selecting a candidate.
Ms Lucas wrote: "I hope this isn’t true. There are times when it’s more important to put country before party. This is one of them.
“Burnham’s longstanding commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy & counter dire threat of a Reform UK government”.