Scottish Labour has not ruled out letting Andy Burnham run to become an MP in Scotland in order to oust Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
Asked whether the Greater Manchester mayor could run in a by-election north of the border, Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader and a member of the NEC, said: “You’ll just need to wait until after the NEC meeting on Tuesday.”
It comes after Wes Streeting – seen as a rival to Sir Keir – quit as health secretary on Thursday, saying a leadership battle should take place.
Reports suggest former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner could also run for the party leadership.
Mr Burnham is seen as a contender but would need to become an MP first.
The election of two SNP MPs to the Scottish Parliament means there will soon be two Westminster by-elections in the seats they have vacated.
Stephen Flynn’s departure leaves the Aberdeen South seat up for grabs, while Stephen Gethins’s Arbroath and Broughty Ferry constituency will also need a new MP.
However, reports suggest Mr Burnham would rather run for a seat in Greater Manchester.
Speaking to reporters at Holyrood, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said “it was still to be seen” whether a leadership contest would be sparked by a challenge to the Prime Minister.
Asked if he would support Mr Burnham should he make a run for a Scottish seat, Mr Sarwar said: “Look, Andy likes to say he’s a King in the North. There’s north of Manchester, that’s Scotland.
“I’m sure if Andy is going to run it will probably be somewhere in Greater Manchester.
“I’m not sure he’s that familiar with Aberdeen.”
Asked again if Mr Burnham should be allowed to run, he added: “Well, look, of course, in all these situations, you want the people that are the best players on the pitch, but that’s ultimately a decision for the NEC.
“Of course, if anyone sought to stand in a Scottish constituency, that would be a matter for the Scottish Executive Committee (NEC).”
The SNP, meanwhile, said Labour has lost focus on the cost of living and is instead “fighting amongst themselves”.
Seamus Logan, the party’s health spokesman at Westminster, said: “This isn’t Government, this is chaos. The eventual resignation of Peter Mandelson’s right-wing pal Wes Streeting is a sure sign that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is preparing to go from bad to worse.
“It is important to be clear what Labour politicians mean when they talk about a long leadership timetable – it is a timetable for this chaos to go on even longer.
“In contrast to the chaos of Westminster, John Swinney and the SNP have shown serious leadership for Scotland and we were rewarded for that at the ballot box just last week.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said “time is up for Starmer” and he criticised Mr Streeting for his “close ties” to Lord Mandelson, and for defending Labour’s “cruel Tory-lite policies”.
Mr Greer added: “Labour promised change, but instead they have chosen to continue the Tories’ legacy of failure and chaos.
“All of this is designed to protect their donors and super-rich pals, rather than deliver the help people and our planet really need.”
In his resignation letter, Mr Streeting criticised the “drift” at the top of Government and told the Prime Minister it is “clear” he will not lead Labour into the next election.
While stopping short of announcing a bid for the top job, Mr Streeting urged Sir Keir to allow the “best possible field of candidates” to run to replace him in Downing Street, suggesting he could be in favour of including Mr Burnham.
If he does not step down, Sir Keir would automatically be on the ballot paper in any race, and Downing Street has continued to insist he will fight any effort to oust him.
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