As mayor of Manchester, Burnham has the record of a common sense social democrat rather than a radical leftist. But without the prospect of a seat in parliament, Burnham will not become Labour leader, at least for now. Without him as its candidate, the party looks guaranteed to lose Gorton and Denton to either the Greens or Reform. Shortly before she chaired the meeting that made the decision to block Burnham, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, accused the Labour leadership’s opponents of indulging in ‘psychodrama’. But if every accusation is really a confession, it’s the Labour right that’s having a breakdown.