‘Andy Burnham could save Labour’: Readers back Manchester mayor’s potential Westminster return

Independent readers have been quick to criticise Labour for trying to block Andy Burnham’s potential Westminster return, warning it risks making Sir Keir Starmer look timid and out of touch.

The controversy follows the departure of former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, whose resignation opens up a route for Burnham to contest the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

Reports suggest Starmer’s allies on the party’s NEC are preparing to block him, with one source describing an “overwhelming anti-Burnham coalition” spanning the party’s left and right.

Many argued that allowing Burnham to return could energise the party and offer a credible alternative to counter populist threats such as Nigel Farage.

Several readers highlighted Starmer’s perceived disconnect with the electorate, pointing to repeated policy U-turns and a tendency to make decisions on the fly. Critics suggested his approach alienates rank-and-file members and leaves Labour vulnerable to vote losses, particularly in the face of regional challenges and local elections in May.

Burnham was widely praised for his communication skills and perceived ability to appeal across Labour’s factions, with some describing him as the only figure capable of building a broad coalition of left and centre-leaning voters.

A common theme was concern over internal party management, including reports of potential loyalty pledges and NEC attempts to block challengers. Many readers framed these moves as short-term fixes that could backfire, warning that credibility and trust within the party are at stake.

Here’s what you had to say:

Blocking Burnham would be a mistake

Blocking Burnham’s return would be a very big mistake because it would give the message that Starmer is unwilling to fight for what he believes. It would be better to welcome Burnham with open arms and invite him to fight the battle against Farage.

Pomerol95

Starmer out of touch with reality

Well, as they say, the sign of madness is repeating the same thing over and over again hoping for a better result. This is clearly demonstrated by Starmer’s choice to dismiss rank-and-file party members. He clearly thinks he knows what the UK electorate needs, but he does not and is determined to fight off any challenges despite his woeful poll ratings.

Even Labour voters on 4 July 2024 have ditched Starmer. The plain fact is, if he remains in 10 Downing Street, he will drag Labour down to its worst-ever electoral drubbing.

Starmer’s biggest problem is that he is perceived as out of touch with political reality. More so when he and Reeves make policy on the hoof, only to have to u-turn later because they have seriously misjudged the electorate’s mood. Even when the party’s rank and file at conference warned that the electorate increasingly sees FPTP as out of date, Starmer, benefiting from a landslide courtesy of 9.7 million votes out of an electorate of 46 million, sits pretty and does not see the bigger picture.

This is thanks to woeful Labour, and yes, Badenoch’s Tories no longer representing mainstream opinion in the UK. Both the Tories and Labour have ditched their broad-church appeal. They are faced by more and more political parties appealing to selective segments of the electorate. Therefore, Farage may well get the keys to 10 Downing Street – and on a lower poll share than Starmer got in July 2024.

OldBuzza2026

Starmer is scared of Burnham

When the PM makes it a point to say that Andy Burnham is doing an excellent job as Mayor, you know he is scared of Andy challenging him.

The PM stood at the Dispatch Box the other week and berated the Tories over the number of Secretaries and Prime Ministers they had over 14 years. Labour seems to be in a desperate rush to catch up and even surpass the Tories’ sad record.

If I had voted Labour in 2024 (I did not), I would be pulling my hair out. The Labour Party is tearing itself inside out. Starmer and Reeves are making Truss and Kwarteng look plausible on the economy. Even worse, the Labour voter’s choices at the next election are dysfunctional Labour, purposeless Lib Dems, or the equally useless Greens – or Corbyn’s strange outfit.

The Labour voter deserves our sympathy.

Krispad

Starmer should welcome a challenger

What is Starmer afraid of? There is nothing wrong with having a challenger in the House. It wouldn’t be an issue if Starmer could cut through and deliver for working people.

BrianStone

Burnham is a good communicator

I have always thought Burnham seemed like a good sort. He is a good communicator and more likely to get closer links with the EU again, therefore boosting British business. I don’t see a downside.

scud10000

Burnham could save Labour

Burnham is about the only person who can save Labour and make it acceptable to a coalition of the left – but the right of Labour will do everything it can to stop Burnham and sabotage him if he does get in.

Robin Baldock

Starmer’s errors are unforced

Keir Starmer has made a succession of unforced errors and subsequent u-turns. The UK deserves a leader who will be able to fend off the populists, which would be catastrophic. There should be a conversation about the way forward; it has not worked very well to date.

wolfie

Focus on northern devolution

Burnham should stay up here and work on devolution for the North. Going to London is heading into a cesspit, which will just suck him down. We need devolution for the North – a northern government to deal with our affairs and control over how things are done up here – rather than constantly being shafted by the South.

saghia

Party credibility is at stake

Once a party starts to control behind the scenes who can do what, their credibility to govern in a democratic manner has gone through the window. Isn’t that so, Nigel?

If Burnham wants to stand, he should stand. If he wants to challenge Starmer, he should be able to do so. It would be up to party members to decide, not an operation ‘Save Big Dog’ run in the background keeping a crumbling façade up. It might work short term, but it will backfire massively long term.

Rasputin007

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up

Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment, click here