Nigel Farage set to unveil 'big-name' by-election candidate after Andy Burnham lashes out at Keir Starmer

Reform UK is now poised to pick a candidate who will scare off Sir Keir Starmer from campaigning in the area, insiders have claimed.

"It risks demoralising the Labour activists and the Prime Minister dare not show his face," a source told The Spectator.

Meanwhile, Reform MP Lee Anderson said: "The Labour faithful are now beginning to see the real Starmer.

"An authoritarian Prime Minister who will try and crush anything or anyone in his way.

"He’s allowed elections to be cancelled and now he’s cancelling members of his own party. Mark my words, he will be punished at the ballot box."

However, Reform UK's musings about the upcoming by-election came amid more ruptures emerging in Labour's civil war.

Mr Burnham yesterday said he was "disappointed" by the decision and "concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us".

In a statement on social media, the Greater Manchester Mayor said he would "return with full focus" to his mayoral job and urged unity in the face of "the divisive politics of Reform".

However, in a swipe at Labour, Mr Burnham claimed the NEC’s decision had been leaked to the press before he had been informed.

"That tells you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days," Mr Burnham added.

Today, Sir Keir Starmer insisted he had a good working relationship with Andy Burnham, despite voting at the Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) to block him from running for Parliament.

The Prime Minister said: "Andy Burnham is doing a really great job. When I came into politics in 2015 the first thing I did was support Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign, the first team I worked in was for Andy Burnham and in the job he’s doing now, he and I work closely together.

“Last year, in sad circumstances, we had to respond together to the attack in a synagogue in Manchester, standing side by side, reassuring the community.

"This year with the Northern Powerhouse Rail, we’re working together to deliver something that matters to Andy Burnham, to the region, to millions of people. So, there’s no question of me and Andy not working very well together. He’s doing an excellent job."

Mr Burnham, the MP for Leigh from 2001 to 2017, previously served in Gordon Brown's Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2007 to 2008, Culture Secretary from 2008 to 2009 and Health Secretary from 2009 to 2010.

Following Ed Miliband's resignation after Labour's defeat at the 2015 General Election, Mr Burnham ran to be leader of the party, finishing a distant second behind Jeremy Corbyn.

After losing the leadership election, he accepted the role of Shadow Home Secretary, before standing down in 2016 following his selection as candidate to be Mayor of Greater Manchester.

He has won all three mayoral elections in Greater Manchester, in 2017, 2021 and 2024.

Mr Farage admitted "It would have been very difficult for us to beat Labour" if Mr Burnham was the candidate.

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "We already have activists on the ground, and we welcome any friends in Labour to support our campaign to keep Reform out of Manchester’s politics."

Deputy Conservative Chairman Matt Vickers also told GB News: "The Government is in a mess, Keir Starmer lacks the leadership to take country forward. This is a party without a plan and without a direction. The reality is their chances of winning this by-election have gone down."

Speaking to The People's Channel, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: "Andy's a great guy, he's not only someone I hugely admire, he's also a friend. You'll hear no criticism of Andy from me. He's doing a hugely important role in the mayoralty in Manchester."