India, Jan. 26 -- LONDON, January 26 - British Labour Party politician Andy Burnham was blocked on Sunday from seeking to return to parliament, a move that has ignited internal conflict and accusations that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is sidelining a potential leadership rival.

Burnham, the high-profile Mayor of Greater Manchester, expressed his disappointment and criticised the party's handling of the decision. "The fact that the media was informed of the NEC decision before I was tells you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days," he said in a post on social media.

The Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC), which includes Starmer, voted 8-1 to refuse Burnham permission to stand as...