LABOUR’S ruling body, the national executive committee (NEC), has given the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham permission to stand in the candidate selection process for the upcoming Makerfield by-election, a party spokesperson has said.

Former health secretary Wes Streeting backed potential Labour leadership rival Mr Burnham yesterday to be allowed to contest the “tough” by-election after the region’s MP Josh Simon announced he was stepping down.

The NEC’s decision comes after Mr Burnham was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year, which was won by Green candidate Hannah Spencer.

Mr Streeting described the Greater Manchester mayor, dubbed the King of the North, as one of the party’s “best players on the pitch” and called on the party’s executive not to block the return of its most popular politician to Westminster.

New Health Secretary James Murray was pictured in Downing Street yesterday after Mr Streeting resigned from government and called on Sir Keir Starmer to step down as PM earlier this week.

Mr Streeting will stand in any future Labour leadership contest, his allies told Sky News.

Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas, meanwhile, said her union would back Mr Burnham’s Westminster bid.

The chair of the Tulo group of Labour-affiliated unions said: “There is a consensus building that it would be wrong for members in Makerfield to not have the opportunity to select Andy Burnham as their candidate.”

Sir Keir held a private meeting with Tulo yesterday after it said he will not lead the party into the next general election.

Applications to stand in the Makerfield by-election will close on May 18, it has been reported, with a selection meeting taking place on May 21.

A spokesman for Labour left campaign Momentum said: “We urge Streeting and Powell to tell their allies on the NEC to support Burnham’s bid for the Makerfield by-election.

“After a disastrous set of local election results and dire poll ratings, Labour cannot afford to sideline its most popular politician.”

The by-election opened up after the Labour MP Josh Simons stood down on Thursday, saying he wanted Mr Burnham to replace him.   

Reform leader Nigel Farage has said his party will “throw absolutely everything at” the contest.

The Greens have also vowed to contest it despite their former leader Caroline Lucas warning: “Burnham’s longstanding commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy and counter [the] dire threat of a Reform UK government.”

Communist Party general secretary Alex Gordon told the Morning Star: “The crisis of working-class representation in Britain cannot be resolved by another retread Labour administration taking Britain back into the EU, whether that administration is led by Burnham, Streeting, Rayner, or a combination of all three.”