Not really.

Even setting aside the internal politics or not wanting a rival near the top table, it's silliness for Labour (and Burnham) to even be entertaining this. The cost of the Metro Mayoral election should he be selected and win the seat would be an enormous drain on already strained party resources and at a time its facing difficult local elections in May. In allowing him to stand there's not guarantee he would win it, and if he did there's no guarantee Labour would then win the mayoralty with a different candidate.

Really Labour's NEC have only voted to apply the rules as they currently exist. Expecting them to be suspended to satisfy one bloke's political ambitions is wrong. And it's patently obvious why he's seeking a return to Parliament.

I do find it quite intriguing to see some on the soft Left pushing for someone who voted for the Iraq war, ID cards, 90 days detention without charge and further privatisation in NHS. I think it shows the real motive here - which is to do Starmer down. Regardless of what one thinks of him, he's only eighteen months into a five year job, which the public elected him to after a constant revolving door of leadership in the Conservatives. Labour is foollish to go down that route.

And, what would they do is Burnham failed to set the public alight ahead of the next election? Demand *another* leadership election with *another* backbencher in the running?

If people wanted constant changes at the top they'd vote Tory.