Burnham would probably have won by-election, Labour deputy leader says

"Powell said that, if Burnham had been allowed to stand, then "I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did". Now she said the party needed to look at why Burnham was so popular 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"."

""We have to draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also... reflect on how we could do that better nationally and better as a government," she said. "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.""

"The committee had cited the "disproportionate" cost to the party of a mayoral election to replace Burnham when it blocked his bid to stand in the Greater Manchester seat. Powell was the only member of the NEC to vote in favour of Burnham."

Labour finished third in the Gorton and Denton by-election, with the Green Party winning the seat and Reform UK placing second in a constituency Labour held for nearly a century. Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader and the sole NEC member voting to allow Andy Burnham to stand, stated he would likely have won had he been permitted to contest the seat. The NEC blocked Burnham's candidacy citing the disproportionate cost of a mayoral by-election to replace him. Powell acknowledged accepting collective responsibility for the decision but suggested the Greens would not have pursued the seat as aggressively with Burnham as the candidate. She emphasized Burnham's popularity in Greater Manchester and called for the party to better utilize his appeal and values both regionally and nationally.

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