"Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, who started in the job on Thursday, appeared to stand against the prospect of a stitch-up in the contest as she warned against control-freakery in the party. The byelection was triggered by the resignation of the independent MP Andrew Gwynne on medical grounds, paving the way for a possible return for Burnham, who is currently mayor of Greater Manchester."
"The Guardian reported on Thursday that allies of Starmer were trying to prevent Burnham's return amid fears he could challenge for the leadership. Multiple members of the party's ruling national executive committee (NEC) predicted it would be impossible for Burnham to make it through the selection process given the number of Starmer loyalists on the body. Andy Burnham's road back to parliament would be a bumpy one."
"A leading MP, Jo White, who runs the Labour red wall group of MPs, said: Let the north decide who their Labour candidate should be for the Gorton and Denton byelection. A London stitch-up will be a disaster for Labour. Stephen Kinnock, a health minister, insisted the process would be the same as any other candidate selection, despite rumours it could be limited to an all-women or all-BAME shortlist."
A byelection in Gorton and Denton followed the resignation of independent MP Andrew Gwynne on medical grounds, opening the possibility of Andy Burnham returning to parliament. Allies of the Labour leader reportedly moved to block Burnham amid fears he could challenge the leadership, and several NEC members signalled he might not survive the selection process because of Starmer loyalists. Unison general secretary Andrea Egan and northern Labour figures warned against any stitch-up and urged a democratic, locally decided selection. Stephen Kinnock affirmed the selection would follow normal rules and procedures and rejected special limitations on the process.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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