The best interests of our party': Andy Burnham's letter to Labour NEC in full

"With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion that this is the moment to mount the strongest possible defence of what we stand for and what we have built in this city over many generations. Manchester inspires because it is a place that has always stood for the equality of all people, right back to the cotton workers of 1862 who refused to handle"

"In my time as mayor, I have drawn strength from that tradition and worked hard to unite people. We are famous for our togetherness and, from that foundation, we are achieving huge success as the UK's fastest-growing city region. And yet, there is now a direct threat to everything Greater Manchester has always been about from a brand of politics which seeks to pit"

"It brings with it a poison we should not let enter our city-region. I see this byelection as the frontline of that fight for the Manchester way and I feel I owe it to a city which has given me so much to lead it from the front, despite the risks involved. With your permission to stand, I would run a hopeful and unifying"

Permission is sought from the NEC to enter Labour's candidate selection for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election. The decision is described as difficult and guided by what is in the best interests of the party and the city-region. The campaign aims to defend Manchester's long-standing traditions of equality and togetherness, citing the cotton workers of 1862. Mayoral experience is presented as drawing strength from that tradition and delivering growth as the UK's fastest-growing city-region. The by-election is framed as a frontline against divisive politics described as a poison, and the campaign will be hopeful, unifying, and honest about political alienation. Westminster was left almost ten years ago because it was felt not to be working, and the current role has enabled pioneering different approaches with some success.

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