The Denton & Gorton by-election will take place on February 26 as Labour searches to unveil its candidate after snubbing Andy Burnham from returning to Westminster.

Voters will likely go to the polls on the last Thursday of February after a writ was moved in the House of Commons for a by-election.

The by-election has to be held between 21 and 27 working days after the writ was moved.

Gorton & Denton will elect a new MP after ex-Health Minister Andrew Gwynne stepped down over health concerns following his suspension from the Labour Party over the WhatsApp group, Trigger Me Timbers.

However, Mr Gwynne’s departure from the House of Commons has been overshadowed by a bitter row between Mr Burnham and the Prime Minister.

After Labour’s ruling NEC decided to block the Greater Manchester Mayor’s bid to return to the House of Commons, Mr Burnham swiped at Sir Keir’s ally Tom Baldwin.

Mr Baldwin, who is a longstanding ally of the Prime Minister and his biographer, said: “I’ve always liked Andy Burnham but the prospect of him returning to Westminster has already added to inward-looking psychodrama that does no one any good.

“And an unnecessary by-election for Mayor of Manchester might well have resulted in long-term damage to his reputation too.”

Responding to Mr Baldwin, Mr Burnham said: “I’m not sure losing a by-election does us any good either, Tom.”

Labour won Gorton & Denton in the 2024 General Election with a majority of 13,413 votes, making the Manchester seat one of the safest in the country.

However, Reform UK and the Green Party have been eyeing up the seat as part of a major challenge to Sir Keir’s leadership.

Nigel Farage is preparing to unveil a “big name” as Reform UK’s candidate, The Spectator has revealed.

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Meanwhile, Zack Polanski’s Green Party is suggesting the race is now a straight run-off with Reform UK.

Despite speculation that Mr Polanski, who was born in Salford, could run in the seat, the Green Party leader has ruled himself out of standing in the Westminster by-election.