Farewell Labour

Mark it on the calendar. 25th January, 2026. The date the Labour Party called it a day.

I have no brief for Andy Burnham. Politically, he moved from the right of Blairism to somewhere adjacent to the soft left. How serious this was never properly got tested. During the Ed Miliband years he was recognised for championing a national care service and turning against privatisation in the NHS, something his erstwhile chums on the Labour right have never forgiven him for. But also, in the 2015 leadership election, his pitch was all over the shop. Trying to keep the soggy centre moist while appealing credible to Labour rightists, once Jeremy Corbyn entered the fray there was nowhere for Burnham to go. Except for adventures outside the Commons when the Manchester mayoralty came up. But, to his credit, Burnham respected the members' vote. And as mayor, he has delivered a competent administration, not rocked the boat, and stood up to the Tories during their efforts to stiff northern England as Covid raged out of control.

Burnham also has that which many a Labour front bencher aspires to - authenticity. Burnham beats all other Labour figures on approval ratings because, unlike many a member of the cabinet from humble beginnings, he avoids coming across as managerialist, he avoids their practised 10-yard stare, and comes across as genuinely warm and relatable. Something that used to endear Angela Rayner to many punters, until her self-inflicted downfall. He impressed many because he stuck up for Manchester while Keir Starmer tailed the government on pandemic management. And so, when he announced his intention to seek the nomination for Gorton and Denton and return to parliament, he had to be stopped.

The Labour right love procedure when it hides political manoeuvres, which is exactly what they did. Burnham cannot be allowed to run because it would cause an expensive mayoral by-election and the party is brassic. How handy. How convenient. With Lucy Powell the sole voice of dissent and, it appears, the only NEC member with a grasp on political realities, the Labour right, the Starmer loyalists, have declared their party done. They didn't just veto Burnham's eventual leadership bid, they snuffed out the only real chance Labour had of avoiding a catastrophic, historic defeat at the next election. The government can give as many councils permission to cancel elections as they like, the bloodbath this May cannot be avoided. But with Wes Streeting now the obvious frontrunner to replace Starmer, at least most of the Labour right will keep their jobs and prominence for a few more years.

And so, Burnham denied means liquidation is a step closer. A parliamentary seat that, at any other time would be a shoe-in is likely to fall, and Labour's political decay continues apace. With Your Party dead on arrival, the Labour right have gift wrapped more of the party's voters and handed them over to the Greens. Burnham was a chance, the chance to turn things around. Instead, the NEC have engaged full steam ahead toward inevitable disaster.

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