The Labour Party has blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, a bombshell move that is set to spark the most furious civil war within the party since the general election.
The news broke after the party's National Executive Committee convened this morning for a make-or-break meeting to decide Mr Burnham's fate.
The meeting, which lasted just under an hour, saw the panel of Keir Starmer loyalists vote in favour of blocking Mr Burnham from applying for the Labour candidacy.
The small clique insists that the refusal is down to fears about the cost of having to hold a by-election for Metro Mayor of Manchester should Mr Burnham be permitted to stand for parliament.
Polls also suggest Reform could be a threat to the party's possession of the crucial frontline job in British politics.
However opponents of Keir Starmer are set to accuse the party's leadership of blocking Mr Burnham over fears he will launch a leadership coup against the historically unpopular Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham's dreams of returning to Westminster were crushed by a landslide vote of 8-1, as the NEC wielded Keir Starmer's authority to protect the Prime Minister.
While Sir Keir may breathe a sigh of relief at the outcome, the news is set to spark a furious civil war within the party, after days of Labour MPs warning the Prime Minister not to block Mr Burnham.
The by-election will now also expose the Prime Minister to another defeat at the hands of Reform UK and Nigel Farage, with polls suggesting the insurgent right-wing party is set to take the seat without the star power that Mr Burnham could have brought to the fight.
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