Sir Keir Starmer faced a lose-lose over Andy Burnham. Let the Mayor of Manchester run in the Gorton and Denton by-election, and the PM could have faced an immediate leadership threat from the 'King of the North'. But block Burnham via Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) - which is exactly what happened - and the PM faces the ire of already febrile Labour backbenchers, many now baying for Sir Keir's blood.

The by-election was already wide open but perhaps even more so since Burnham is now banned from standing. Then with Green Party leader Zack Polanski also ruling himself out this ups the chances for Reform. While the NEC talks about the costs of a new mayoral vote in Manchester should Burnham be the Labour candidate, the PM's enemies smell a rat. Many talk of open revolt.

No doubt this strengthens the hand of Health Secretary Wes Streeting as well, a much-hyped would-be challenger to Sir Keir. While no darling of the Labour Left, Streeting remains the obvious successor in Parliament.

This comes as January's polls show Reform holding its lead. While Opinium's latest poll cut Reform's lead from 11 to 9, it kept Reform on 31%. The difference owing to the fact the Tories dropped 1 point and Labour rose by 2.

Indeed, a triggered Manchester mayoral election could well have been Reform's for the taking as Nigel Farage's party cuts through coastal communities, the old Tory shires and the so-called Red Wall.

Voters are let down by an underdelivering Labour government, a continuity from a Tory government which failed on everything - from immigration to crime, from tax to helping small businesses.

Burnham standing or not is simply rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic. But it no doubt weakens an already-damaged PM in the eyes of his party even if the goal was to strengthen him in the immediate term.

If Sir Keir and the gang hoped blocking Burnham would put to bed any talk of 'psychodramas' then it's time to go back to school. Meanwhile voters both in Manchester and countrywide continue to be let down.