British Labour Party politician Andy Burnham was on Sunday blocked from trying to return to parliament, with lawmakers on the left of the party accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his allies of a political move to keep out a potential leadership rival, Reuters reported. 

Burnham said he was disappointed at the decision and, while he called for unity in the Labour Party, criticised the way the situation had been handled.

One of the party's most high-profile politicians and an elected mayor in the northern English city of Manchester, Burnham said on Saturday he wanted to become Labour's candidate to replace a lawmaker who resigned on Thursday, according to Reuters.