Akehurst rejects Makerfield rule changes for Burnham bid
Makerfield Labour NEC member Luke Akehurst said the party’s leadership rules should not be tweaked to let Andy Burnham run for prime minister. He said a contest starting now would not give Burnham enough time to take part, even as his backers lobby for a longer timetable.
Akehurst said: "If a contest started right now, I just don’t see how it’s physically possible for Andy Burnham to participate". He also said Labour’s rules and procedures were not there to be changed for one person, after Burnham’s supporters were understood to be seeking an extended leadership election that could last about three months.
Labour NEC and Burnham
The party’s ruling body sets the nominations, timetable and code of conduct for leadership contests, and its consent can vary the rules. That gives the NEC control over whether any contest would move quickly or be stretched long enough for Burnham to return to parliament before a vote.
Burnham’s allies want time for him to re-enter Westminster through a byelection, and the nomination period being sought could be long enough for that to happen. Akehurst’s objection goes to the central mechanism, not just to Burnham himself: if the timetable stays tight, the mayor cannot enter from outside parliament.
January and 7 May
The dispute follows the NEC’s decision in January to block Burnham’s return to parliament, when its 10-strong officers’ group rejected his request to seek selection for the Gorton and Denton byelection. Angela Rayner said on Thursday that Burnham should not have been prevented from re-entering parliament, while Abdi Duale said old loyalties before 7 May were being reassessed.
Rayner also said: "If somebody wants to come and help, and be part of the future that we can deliver, then absolutely we shouldn’t be blocking people … We cannot afford to be factional about this. We cannot afford to have egos." Asked whether she had done a deal with Burnham, she said: "I’m not doing deals."
Thursday at Labour
Akehurst said Labour’s rules and procedures should not be adjusted for a single person, and added: "If we change the rules] we could have a cast of thousands. How about a byelection for David Miliband or a byelection for Ed Balls? I don’t think the Labour party’s rules and procedures are there to be tweaked, to suit one particular person."
The immediate question now sits with the NEC: whether it keeps the contest timetable as it stands or allows the longer process Burnham’s supporters want. That choice will decide whether a leadership race can move fast enough for him to enter it at all.
