Labour's National Executive Committee agreed to allow the mayor of Greater Manchester to contest the seat.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency."
Burnham, who dodged questions when he was spotted jogging by Sky News on Friday, has already confirmed his intention to stand in the by-election.
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He said he has wanted to "bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people".
Earlier today, allies of Wes Streeting told Sky News' Ali Fortescue that he will stand in any future Labour leadership contest.
It followed his resignation as health secretary on Thursday, when he delivered an explosive letter to Sir Keir accusing his government of "drift" and the PM himself of leaving a leadership "vacuum".
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However, he did not trigger an immediate leadership contest himself as expected, calling instead for a "broad" debate about the party's future.
He also said he backed Burnham to be the candidate in the upcoming by-election near Greater Manchester.
In a post on X, the now-former health secretary wrote: "We need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them.
"The Makerfield by-election will be tough. Votes will need to be earned. Andy is the best chance of winning and that should override factional advantage or propping up one person."
Earlier this morning, Housing Secretary Steve Reed, a close ally of Sir Keir, admitted the PM was "unpopular".
He told Sky News: "It's not a good week that we just had, let me put that on the table straight away.
"It reminds me of what went on under the Conservatives, and I think we need to draw that to a close as quickly as possible."
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Asked if changing an unpopular leader was necessary to beat Reform UK at the next election, Reed replied: "The prime minister is unpopular, but each of the last four prime ministers, in turn, has been the most unpopular prime minister we've ever had."
A majority-male jury had been weighing whether Weinstein, now 74, raped former aspiring actor Jessica Mann, now aged 40, in 2013 in a New York hotel.
But in a note to Judge Curtis Farber, the jury said it could not reach a unanimous decision.
Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape in the third degree, and he has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
The mistrial comes nearly a year after a different New York jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge tied to Ms Mann's allegations, which she recounted across five days in court.
Weinstein's lawyers have argued that Ms Mann made up the rape allegation after regretting that her consensual romance with Weinstein failed to advance her film career.
While Weinstein remains behind bars, the mistrial leaves the New York rape charge in limbo after three trials.
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Judge Farber said outside the presence of the jury that it was clear they were "hopelessly deadlocked" and that there was no reason to keep them any longer.
He told lawyers for both sides to return for a hearing in June. It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would seek to try the case for a fourth time.
Weinstein appeared expressionless as court officers ushered him out in his wheelchair.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said his office would "consider our next steps in consultation with Ms Mann".
"Her perseverance and bravery are inspiring to the members of my office, and more importantly, to survivors everywhere," Mr Bragg said.
At his first trial in New York in 2020, Weinstein was convicted of raping Ms Mann and assaulting onetime production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.
But the state's highest court overturned the conviction and Weinstein's 23-year prison sentence after concluding he did not get a fair trial.
A Manhattan jury then convicted Weinstein of sexually abusing Ms Haley at a trial in June 2025, but found him not guilty of assaulting former model Kaja Sokola.
The same jury were deadlocked on the third-degree rape charge relating to Ms Mann, and Justice Curtis Farber declared a mistrial on that count.
That paved the way for this year's retrial.
Weinstein was convicted of rape in California in 2022 and is serving a 16-year prison sentence. He is appealing that conviction and sentence.
The Miramax studio co-founder will face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced for abusing Ms Haley.
The outbreak has been identified in the remote Ituri province, where officials have recorded 246 suspected cases, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Most of the cases and deaths have been reported in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, the agency said on Friday.
Four deaths have so far been confirmed among laboratory-tested Ebola cases, while suspected infections have also been reported in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province near the border with Uganda.
Preliminary laboratory testing detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples analysed.
The Ebola virus spreads through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen, and can cause severe and often fatal illness.
Africa CDC has also raised concerns over the proximity of the outbreak to neighbouring Uganda and South Sudan.
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An emergency meeting involving health officials from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, alongside UN agencies and other international partners, was due to take place on Friday to coordinate the response.
Congo has experienced 17 Ebola outbreaks since the disease was first identified in the country in 1976.
One of the deadliest outbreaks, between 2018 and 2020 in eastern Congo, killed more than 2,000 people.
The country's eastern regions are also facing ongoing violence involving armed groups, including the M23 rebel movement and the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Force, complicating efforts to contain the disease.
Dr Gabriel Nsakala, a public health professor involved in previous Ebola responses in Congo, said the country had extensive experience dealing with outbreaks but warned rapid action would be essential.
"In terms of training, people already know what they can do," he said.
"Now, the expertise and equipment need to be delivered quickly."
The 19-year-old is accused of a data protection offence. Police Scotland said he would appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court "at a later date".
The teenager's arrest and charge comes after the official and his family were placed under "police surveillance", according to the Scottish Football Association (SFA).
On Wednesday, Celtic kept their title hopes alive after they were awarded a late penalty by John Beaton in the 2-3 win. The decision drew widespread criticism.
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Penalising Motherwell midfielder Sam Nicholson for handball in a stoppage-time VAR review, allowed Celtic to cut the gap on Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts to one point.
On Saturday, the two remaining title contenders will play each other in a final-day decider.
Julian Valente Pereira, 33, left the mock explosive at the Thames House home of the security service in central London, on New Years day.
A day earlier his asylum claim had been rejected and he was handed a deportation notice to return to Brazil.
On Friday he was sentenced to two and a half years behind bars for the hoax.
Prosecutor Shannon Revel had said he wanted "maximum attention" after a long running battle with the Home Office to stay in the UK.
In CCTV footage, he could be seen stuffing paperwork about his immigration case through the doors of the building, before planting the fake stick of dynamite.
A bomb expert had to be called, who discovered that the device was made from rolled-up A4 paper, brown masking tape, and string.
The incident coincided with a New Year's Day parade taking place in the capital.
In February, after a trial at City of London Magistrates' Court, Pereira was found guilty of placing an article with the intention of inducing another to believe the item was going to explode.
The court heard how he was living in an asylum hotel in Uxbridge, west London, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Giving evidence, Pereira said the device he left outside MI5 would not have been mistaken for an explosive.
Judge Lucraft noted police concerns at the time that the fake dynamite was a "genuine explosive", and that dealing with the incident "diverted them from other things".
Even though officers identified it as a hoax in under an hour, concerns remained the dummy device could have been "a diversionary tactic in preparation for another incident elsewhere", Judge Lucraft said.
Sentencing him at the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said he "may well" be deported.
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He told the defendant: "You are of good character, demonstrating some remorse for what you did, expressing regret and sorrow for your actions that day.
"You accept now that what you did was foolish."