Andy Burnham can save Labour and defeat Reform. He should be the next prime minister | Neal Lawson

Put plainly, the Greater Manchester mayor is electoral gold dust. The Labour party machine must not stand in his way to becoming an MPNeal Lawson is director of the cross-party campaign organisation CompassThe madness has to end. The progressive side of politics in the UK faces two crises. The first is the possible decimation of the Labour party after the next election. The second is a prospective Reform-led government – and a Trumpian future for the country.The best-placed figure in Britain to lead Labour away from these twin disasters is the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. The Labour party must now do what it takes to ensure that Burnham is available to be the next leader of the party and the country. This must start with an urgent statement from its ruling national executive committee (NEC) saying that if Burnham wanted to fight any direct vacancy then he would be allowed through for local members to decide whether they wanted him as their candidate, alongside a timetable that allows him to enter the contest.Neal Lawson is director of the cross-party campaign organisation Compass