Labour insiders have reportedly discussed former Manchester United captain Gary Neville as a potential successor to Andy Burnham if he returns to Westminster in a bid to revive his national political career.
According to reports, Neville’s name has been raised inside Labour circles as party figures quietly prepare for the possibility of Burnham vacating the Greater Manchester mayoralty.
The extraordinary discussions come amid mounting speculation that Burnham is preparing for a dramatic return to frontline politics as pressure grows on Sir Keir Starmer following Labour infighting and Cabinet turmoil.
Burnham confirmed this week he will seek permission from Labour’s NEC to stand in the forthcoming Makerfield by-election.
Gary Neville is being tipped as a potential successor to Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester mayor
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It is a move widely viewed in Westminster as the first step towards a future Labour leadership challenge.
Now attention is turning to who could inherit one of Labour’s most high-profile regional positions.
Neville, who has reinvented himself as a businessman, broadcaster and outspoken political commentator since retiring from football, has long flirted with political intervention.
The former England defender joined Labour in 2022 and has repeatedly used his platform to criticise Conservative governments, champion workers’ rights and attack what he describes as inequality in Britain.
Gary Neville has since become a businessman and political commentator since retiring from football
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The 51-year-old Salford-born pundit already has deep ties to Greater Manchester through major regeneration projects, including Hotel Football and the St Michael’s development in Manchester city centre.
While Labour sources stressed no formal approach has been made, insiders suggested Neville’s celebrity profile and popularity in the North could make him an attractive candidate if the mayoralty becomes vacant.
One Labour figure told Sky News figures inside the party are increasingly conscious that losing Burnham would leave “a huge political and media vacuum” in Greater Manchester.
Burnham has dominated northern politics since becoming mayor in 2017, winning praise from Labour supporters for his clashes with Boris Johnson’s government during the Covid pandemic and his push to bring Greater Manchester’s buses back under public control through the Bee Network.
But critics have warned Labour risks turning politics into “celebrity management” if it seriously considers Neville for one of the most powerful devolved roles in England.
The former footballer has never held elected office and has previously ruled out entering politics directly, although he has become increasingly vocal on national issues in recent years.
The speculation underlines the growing sense of instability inside Labour as factions manoeuvre around a possible post-Starmer future.
With Burnham now openly preparing for a Westminster comeback, Labour insiders appear to be planning for what comes next in Manchester — and one of English football’s biggest names is suddenly part of the conversation.