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*** David Sean Robinson - look away now - the following report is from the dastardly MoS !! ***‘Keir Starmer faces a deepening Labour civil war over Andy Burnham today with furious Labour MPs warning the PM not to block a Westminster return for the Manchester mayor even if means facing a challenge for power.Labour's ruling National Executive Committee will today decide if self-styled 'King of the North' Mr Burnham can stand in an upcoming by-election, after his 11th-hour declaration that he wants to fight it.The move backed the Prime Minister into a strategic corner. If Sir Keir's allies allow Mr Burnham to stand in the Gorton and Denton seat being vacated by disgraced former minister Andrew Gwynne, they risk plunging the party in to a bitter leadership contest. If they block him, it will further inflame rifts within the ranks and risk making the PM appear cowardly.As Manchester mayor, Mr Burnham needed to seek permission from the NEC to stand in a by-election – a move he made just moments before the deadline of 5pm yesterday.Leading officers will meet today to decide if he can stand, amid claims he could be barred by a demand for an all-female or all-BAME shortlist.The committee is led by Sir Keir's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. She today praised him as an “exceptional politician but told Sky News: 'I don't think the country would forgive us if we indulge in a psychodrama.'However senior figures like Ed Miliband and Sadiq Khan have backed Burnham and MPs went public to warn Keir and his allied to get out of the way.’

Sue Hammond ● 20d