Allies of Andy Burnham are said to be hoping to seize on escalating Labour infighting in order to clear the path for his eventual return to Westminster.
Sir Keir Starmer is fighting for his political life after the latest revelations around Peter Mandelson’s vetting prompted calls for his resignation. The scandal has exacerbated divisions within Labour, with many fearing the party could face a crippling defeat at the polls in May.
The Greater Manchester mayor has been one of the most talked-about threats to Sir Keir’s leadership in recent months, with speculation about a potential challenge having grown since mid-2025 when he repeatedly failed to rule out a Labour leadership bid.
But tensions came to a head earlier this year when Mr Burnham was blocked by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Critics accused Sir Keir of blocking Mr Burnham’s candidacy in the constituency, where Labour suffered a crippling defeat to the Greens, in order to see off a leadership challenge.
Allies of Mr Burnham are now reportedly hoping to exploit Labour infighting to seize control of the NEC at a reshuffle later this year, potentially clearing an easier path for him to return to parliament.
One person close to Mr Burnham told the Financial Times that he was “keeping an eye” on how numbers may change within the party’s NEC.
A Labour MP said: “There is a whole slate of NEC posts up for grabs in the autumn, and you’ll see a shift to the left and away from Starmer loyalists, and after that it’ll be harder to stop Burnham coming back to Westminster.”
Another veteran Labour official told the paper: “It will change the balance if you have more members who are anti the leadership.”
One Starmer-loyalist NEC member said a future decision to let Mr Burnham run for parliament “depends on what the mood of the party is at the time”.
“Just because we blocked him last time doesn’t mean we’ll block him next time,” they said.
But one person close to Mr Burnham said the idea that he would stand down as the mayor of Manchester to stand in a by-election was a “complete non-starter”.
Around 16 of the 40 places on the NEC are expected to come up for grabs in July, marking an opportunity for a faction more supportive of Mr Burnham to gain control.
The election will take place after May’s local elections, which are expected to serve as a major blow to both the party and Sir Keir’s authority, which is already under threat amid the latest accusations of a “cover-up” over Lord Mandelson’s appointment.
Labour and Mr Burnham have been contacted for a comment.
