Burnham would ‘probably’ have won by-election, says Powell

Andy Burnham would have won the Gorton and Denton by-election, Labour’s deputy leader said as she called for the party to make more use of the Greater Manchester mayor.

Labour fell to third in the previously rock-solid seat on Thursday, with the Greens winning a fifth seat in Parliament and Reform UK coming second.

The result has prompted renewed questioning of the party’s decision to block Burnham from contesting the seat.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newscast podcast, Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell said Burnham “probably would have” held the seat.

She said: “I think certainly the Greens wouldn’t have gone after the seat in the same way that they did.”

Powell was the only member of Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand in Gorton and Denton, with eight others including Sir Keir Starmer voting against.

But she told the BBC she accepted “collective responsibility” for the decision, citing concern about a mayoral by-election in Greater Manchester.

Powell also said her party needed to draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham’s popularity in Greater Manchester, saying people “see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and those Labour policies”.

She added: “We have to draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could do that better nationally and better as a Government.

“And I know from talking to Keir many, many times over recent weeks, before this by-election and since, that that is something he is very focused on doing.”

Burnham silent on by-election

Burnham himself is yet to comment on the result in Gorton and Denton, while Starmer has vowed to fight on despite the “disappointing” outcome of the poll.

Meanwhile, home secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to warn against moving to the left in response to the by-election as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.

A source close to the home secretary told The Times: “The Labour Government should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent by-election loss.

“The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong.”

Press Association