Starmer speaks to Burnham after by-election row

"Speaking to reporters on the plane to China, Sir Keir Starmer rejected claims that Burnham had been told in advance that he would not be accepted as a candidate, adding: "I know who was talking to Andy on Saturday and that wasn't said." Asked if he would welcome Burnham back into the Commons, the prime minister said "that's a matter for Andy" and that he was doing a "first-class job" as mayor of Greater Manchester."

"The prime minister claimed that only Labour could beat Reform UK in Gorton and Denton. "You can see from their [Reform's] candidate what politics they're going to bring to that constituency, the politics of division, of toxic division, of tearing people apart. "That's not what that constituency is about, it's not what Manchester is about, so this is a straight fight between Labour and Reform and there's only one party that can stop the politics of Reform in the by-election and that's the Labour Party.""

"A 10-member panel of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) blocked Burnham's candidacy over the weekend, citing the "disproportionate" cost to the party of taking part in a contest to replace him as mayor. Burnham denied reports that he had been told beforehand by Downing Street that he would be prevented from standing. "It is simply untrue to say that I was told that I would be blocked," he told reporters. "I went through the whole weekend having conversations with people in No 10.""

Labour's National Executive Committee blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election, citing the disproportionate cost of contesting a by-election to replace him as mayor. Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Burnham after the decision and rejected claims that Downing Street had told Burnham he would be blocked. Starmer said Burnham remains a first-class mayor and that welcoming him back to the Commons would be a matter for Burnham. The prime minister argued that only Labour can beat Reform UK in the by-election and described Reform's politics as one of toxic division. Reform selected academic and campaigner Matt Goodwin as its candidate.

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