Mr Burnham formally requested permission on Saturday to stand for the contest. As mayor of Greater Manchester, he needed approval to contest a different political election.

Mr Burnham's return to Westminster was seen by many as a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.

Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) voted to block the mayor's request on Sunday.

Sky News understands the 10-person panel voted eight to one to block Mr Burnham's bid, with only deputy leader Lucy Powell backing him.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, chair of the NEC - Labour's governing body - abstained.

The prime minister was among those who voted against Mr Burnham, along with union figures and other Labour Party representatives.

Mr Burnham said he was "disappointed" by the decision and "concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us".

"To whoever is Labour's candidate and to our members in Manchester and Tameside: you will have my full support and I will be there whenever you need me," added the mayor.

He said he would "return with full focus" to his current role after offering to stand as MP to help beat Reform, writing on X: "We are stronger together and let's stay that way."

In another post, Mr Burnham criticised the Labour leadership.

"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 wrote.

"You would think that over 30 years of service would count for something but sadly not."

However, a Labour source told Sky News' Beth Rigby this was "categorically untrue".

"Am told the party attempted to contact Andy shortly after the meeting had concluded over the phone and then contacted him via email," she posted on X.

A party statement said the reason behind the decision was the cost of running the campaigns for both a parliamentary seat and a Manchester mayoralty by-election.

"Although the party would be confident of retaining the mayoralty, the NEC could not put Labour's control of Greater Manchester at any risk, the statement said.

"Andy Burnham is doing a great job as mayor of Greater Manchester," it added.

"We believe it is in the best interests of the party to avoid an unnecessary mayoral election which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers' money and resources that are better spent tackling the cost of living crisis.

"We look forward to fighting and winning the upcoming by-election in Gorton and Denton and the positive campaign ahead which will be firmly focused on tackling the cost of living and bringing investment to the local area."

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Despite anger on the left of the party, MPs loyal to Mr Starmer have backed the decision.

Bolton West's Phil Brickell said recent speculation had "seen the Labour Party quickly turn inward... undermining the PM's efforts at home and abroad".

Rugby MP John Slinger said the "quick and clear decision" meant Labour could "move on from the damaging, introspection and psychodrama" and "pull together" behind the eventual by-election candidate.

However, Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan was scathing in calling the decision a "stitch-up" that "puts control before country".

"Those who have orchestrated this outcome are happy to destroy the Labour Party because of their deep seated factionalism," he said.

"We've seen this before when some individuals were actively working against us winning. We're rapidly losing all sense of reason."

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell warned the prime minister: "If you think it strengthens you I tell you it will simply hasten your demise.

"You could have shown magnanimous leadership but instead it's cowardice."

Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, also criticised the Labour leadership, who she said "care more about settling personal scores than winning elections".

Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, said: "The leadership should not feel threatened by having one of the most popular politicians in the country as part of the national team.

"It's not too late to change course and make the right decision. Otherwise I think we'll all come to regret this."

At least 180 million people in 37 states - more than half America's population - are affected, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have declared an emergency, with rescue teams and supplies on standby.

Parts of the northeast could get as much as 2ft (60cm) of snow overnight into Monday, said the NWS.

The forecaster also warned of freezing rain and "catastrophic ice accumulation" in areas that avoid the snow and "dangerously cold wind chills" for tens of millions.

Josh Weiss, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the storm was "unique" due to its broad spread, covering 2,000 miles, and the extreme cold it's forecast to leave behind over the next week.

More than 14,400 flights have been cancelled on Sunday and another 8,000 delayed, according to tracking website FlightAware.

The cancellations are the most on any day since the COVID pandemic, said aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem urged people to "stay home" due to "very, very cold" temperatures.

Thousands of refuse lorries have been fitted with snow ploughs in New York City, said mayor Zohran Mamdani, who warned of the coldest temperatures for eight years.

Some people in Central Park used skis to get around, while students in America's biggest city have been told Monday will be a remote learning day.

Similar orders are in force in other storm-affected states.

"An Arctic siege has taken over our state," said New York governor Kathy Hochul. "It is brutal, it is bone-chilling and it is dangerous."

New York communities near the Canadian border have already seen record-breaking lows, including -45C (-49F) in Copenhagen, a village in Lewis County.

Mikie Sherrill, the governor of New Jersey, announced a 35mph speed limit on highways and said she was expecting conditions the "likes of which we haven't seen in years".

In Georgia, senior state meteorologist Will Lanxton said it was "perhaps the biggest ice storm we have expected in more than a decade".

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More than 889,000 power outages were reported across the US by 12.15pm eastern time (5.15pm UK time), according to PowerOutage.us.

Tennessee was hardest hit with more than 300,000 losing their connection, while Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi all had more than 100,000 affected households.

The home secretary is expected to make a statement to MPs this afternoon on her proposals, including the previously announced creation of a new National Police Service (NPS) to tackle major crimes, and cutting the number of police forces.

She is also set to pledge to cut "red tape" and "unnecessary admin" that prevent officers from spending more time on the beat, and to change how staffing levels are funded.

Under the proposals, police forces will also be required to respond to emergency calls in urban areas within 15 minutes, and within 20 minutes in rural areas.

While most forces have targets to respond in this time, the Home Office said there is currently no way to hold them to this standard.

"People are reporting crimes and then waiting hours or even days for a response," Ms Mahmood said in a statement. "By the time the police arrive, the perpetrators and witnesses are long gone."

"I will restore neighbourhood policing and scale up patrols in communities to catch criminals and cut crime," she added.

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Other announcements over the weekend included a £7m investment in tackling shoplifting, including £5m for Operational Opal - a national intelligence sharing unit targeting shoplifting gangs.

Policing minister Sarah Jones said that "for too long, organised crime gangs have taken advantage of defenceless retailers, faced no consequences of their cruel actions and known that police forces may not always attend in time to catch them".

"My message to them is simple," she said. "There is nowhere to hide now."

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp agreed that people "want to see stronger neighbourhood policing and more bobbies on the beat".

However, he said that "it's hard to take Labour's promises seriously when they have stripped more than 1,300 officers from the front line in our communities, and shoplifting has risen to record levels on their watch".

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Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson added that "promises by press release are all well and good, but the government must deliver".

"Labour already promised the public 13,000 more police officers, but instead officer numbers have fallen," he said.

"By March this year, we had 4,000 fewer officers than the year before. That's simply not good enough.

"If the government is serious about restoring neighbourhood policing, it needs to step up, get this right, and get more officers back onto our streets."

The painted image features damaged planes on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier with the slogan: "If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind," in Farsi and English.

The unveiling of the picture in Enghelab Square comes after a senior Iranian official said any attack will be treated "as an all-out war against us" ahead of the arrival of a US aircraft carrier and other warships to the region.

The square is used for gatherings called by the state, and authorities change its mural based on national occasions.

Donald Trump has said the assets are being moved "just in case" he decides to take action.

"We have a massive fleet heading in that direction and maybe we won't have to use it," the US president said on Thursday.

He earlier urged Iranian protesters - thousands of whom have been killed and tens of thousands more arrested by the regime's forces - to keep demonstrating and promised that "help is on the way".

There have been no further protests for days, and Mr Trump claimed recently that Tehran had halted the executions of about 800 arrested protesters - a claim Iran's top prosecutor called "completely false."

But the US leader has indicated he is keeping his options open, saying on Thursday that any military action would make last June's US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites "look like peanuts".

The US military has periodically sent extra forces to the Middle East at times of heightened tension in moves which have often been seen as defensive.

But a major build-up last year came ahead of its launching airstrikes against Iran's nuclear programme.

It is thought to be Matthew Upham, one of two men who went missing at Budleigh Salterton last month.

Formal identification hasn't yet taken place, but Devon and Cornwall Police said the family of a 64-year-old man from the town had been informed.

The force said officers had been called to Exmouth Beach at 3pm on Sunday after reports of a body near the shore.

The body of a 47-year-old who went missing from Budleigh Salterton at the same time as Mr Upham is believed to have been found on Wednesday.

Mr Upham, an antiques dealer, was reported to be an experienced sea swimmer.

Singer Kate Bush was among those who paid tribute, calling him one of her "very dearest friends" and an "extraordinarily kind" man who "lived life to the full".

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In a statement, his family said they were "heartbroken" and that he was "deeply loved and will be forever missed".

They also expressed "sincere and heartfelt thanks to the emergency services who responded, particularly the RNLI and coastguard, for their dedication, professionalism, and tireless efforts".

RNLI crews had described sea conditions on the day as "punishing" and some swimmers who turned up on Christmas morning abandoned the event.

Others went in and a number of people needed rescuing.

Warnings for strong winds were in place at the time and a number of swims in the South West had already been cancelled.