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gentlemen Keir Starmerallies are planning to head off potential leadership rivals Andy Burnhamroute return westminsterAccording to reports.
previous labor minister Andrew GwinA man has his cane removed and sentenced to death over his offensive WhatsApp messages. member of congress Thursday.
His departure opens a way for Mr. BurnhamMayor of Greater Manchester House of Commons A comeback would allow him to challenge Sir Keir’s status, following speculation he could feature in the upcoming fixtures by-election For Gorton and Denton.
However, Prime MinisterAllies of the Labor Party National Executive Committee (Nippon Electric Corporation) vowed to try to prevent Mr Burnham from running in the May by-election, the times Reported.
According to one member, “there is an overwhelming anti-Burnham coalition within the NEC, spanning the left and the right.”
Another person told the newspaper that the prospect of a Manchester mayoral election “worries even the most anti-leadership members”.
A third said they would support a Burnham-led “utopia” but admitted the reality was “it would be very bad in areas where we have already lost votes”.
There are even reports that No 10 is considering imposing a “loyalty pledge” where candidates would have to confirm their allegiance to Sir Keir. Mr Burnham could therefore be painted as a traitor if he launched a leadership bid.
Manchester’s mayor has urged people not to “jump to conclusions” following Gwynne’s resignation, despite repeatedly refusing to rule out a Commons comeback or a leadership challenge.
If successful, Mr Burnham could return to parliament at a time when the Prime Minister is at his lowest ebb, with elections in Scotland and Wales in May and the English Assembly elections expected to be disastrous for Labour.
Hours after the by-election was confirmed, Sir Keir warned his MPs to stop talking about the potential leadership challenge, telling Channel 4 News that “every minute we waste is a minute wasted, apart from the cost of living and stability in Europe and globally”.
Gwyn, who left parliament due to illness, has previously denied he intended to vacate the seat and said in September that the “route to No. 10” would not pass through his seat.
He was sacked as health minister and suspended in February last year over comments he made in a WhatsApp group. He reportedly made sexist remarks about Angela Rayner, racist remarks about Labor MP Diane Abbott and joked about the death of an elderly woman in a closed group chat with Labor figures near Manchester. At the time, he publicly apologized and said he regretted the “seriously misjudged” remarks.
On Thursday afternoon he confirmed he was quitting the Gorton and Denton constituency, citing health reasons.
“I didn’t do everything right, and I certainly made mistakes, but I always tried my best and helped tens of thousands of constituents solve their problems along the way. In fact, helping people is what gives me the most joy in these jobs,” the congressman wrote in a Facebook post.
Mr Gwynn said he had “suffered from severe ill health for much of his 21 years as an MP”, which was “further exacerbated by the fallout from last year’s text message breach”.
Sir Keir would not say whether he would support the idea of Mr Burnham as a councilor if a vacancy arises before the by-election is confirmed, but added that Mr Burnham was “doing a fantastic job” as mayor.
Meanwhile, there has been widespread speculation about Mr Burnham’s leadership ambitions, with the mayor often mentioned as a leading candidate to take over if Sir Keir’s premiership is untenable.
Mr Burnham was at the center of such rumors at September’s Labor Party conference when he revealed MPs were privately urging him to challenge Sir Keir.
But he later criticized coverage of the leadership contest, writing on X in December: “There’s a lot of rubbish in the papers today. It reminds me why I left Westminster in the first place!”
On Thursday afternoon, he said he had “no idea” about a potential by-election. He said: “This information has not been confirmed by me. I have had no contact with Andrew or anyone close to him on this issue. Of course, I have known him before, but I know nothing about it like everyone else.”
He added: “People should not rush to conclusions.”
Any by-election looks likely to be held at the same time as May’s election. This would give Labor a greater chance of retaining its seats and potentially the Greater Manchester mayoralty against Nigel Farage’s UK Reform faction, which currently tops national opinion polls.
Mr Farage, whose party does not have the infrastructure of a major party, is expected to vie for votes in the Scottish, Welsh and English parliaments on May 7.
But at this moment Mr Burnham is likely to become an MP, a prerequisite for the top job, at a time when Sir Keir is suffering the worst blow of his tenure.
There are fears Labor could face crushing defeats in some areas at the upcoming local elections, which could be a pivotal moment in Sir Keir’s tenure as prime minister.
The most recent YouGov MRP, conducted in September 2025, predicted Labor would hold seats in the constituency, with 30% Labor and 24% Reform Britain.
Earlier this month, leading opinion poll Professor Sir John Curtis Representative Mr. Burnham said Labour’s best hope of retaining Nigel Farage From No. 10.
sir john told independent He only believes Mr Burnham Got internal support Labor Partyand called on the wider electorate to be an effective replacement for Sir Keir, who he said “doesn’t have the skillset for Downing Street”.
A YouGov poll last month also showed Mr Burnham as the clear frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir, ahead of the former deputy prime minister Angela Reiner and mr. street. But some Labor MPs are strongly opposed to the idea of Mr Burnham running. a Labor MP told independent It’s “nothing more than a distraction that could go on for months and, frankly, we don’t need at all.”
independent Mr Gwynn and Mr Burnham have been contacted for comment.