Leadership battles brew in Labour Party while Tories hit by second defection to Reform in days

A leadership battle began brewing again in Westminster, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham being blocked by the Labour Party from running in a parliamentary bye-election that could see him return to Westminster and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Labour’s governing body, its National Executive Council (NEC), voted 8 – 1 to deny Mr. Burnham permission to quit his post and run in the Gorton and Denton bye-election next month. Mr. Starmer, a member of the NEC, also voted with the majority.

The governing party — like the opposition Conservative Party — has had to contend with Reform UK, the anti-immigration and nativist party which has been surging at the polls. Reactions to Labour’s decision were mixed.

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander, who is a Cabinet Minister, said not having a second mayoral election for Greater Manchester would save the party and public money and “months of psychodrama”.

Mr. Alexander said the decision was more about “focus than factionalism” given that Labour faced looming electoral battles for the Assemblies in Wales and Scotland and local elections in England, Scotland and Wales on May 7 this year.

“We need all our focus on those elections,” Mr. Starmer said on Monday (January 26, 2026), defending the vote to block Mr. Burnham from running in the bye-election. He said the Mayor was doing a “great” job in Manchester.

Left wing Labour MP John McDonnell called the NEC decision “disgusting”.

“If you think it strengthens you I tell you it will simply hasten your demise,” he told Mr. Starmer in a message on the social media site X.

Mr. Burnham said he was “disappointed” with the NEC decision and concerned about the elections. The media knew of the NEC decision before he did and told “you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days”, he said.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman Defects to Reform

Suella Braverman, former U.K. Home Secretary and Attorney General in the Conservative government, defected to Reform UK. Reform now has 8 MPs in the U.K. Parliament.

The news comes days after her former colleague, Robert Jenrick, the shadow Justice Secretary defected from the Conservative Party to Reform.

“I feel like I’ve come home,” Ms. Braverman, who is of Indian descent, said at a party rally, calling it the “honour of her life”. She said the Conservative Party would never take Britain out of the European Convention Human Rights, despite leaders saying they would, as she praised on Reform leader Nigel Farage.