Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has a potential route back to parliament after an MP announced he would trigger a byelection by standing down from his seat. The move ends days of speculation and underlines the precarious nature of Keir Starmer’s premiership.
In a day of high drama, Wes Streeting quit as health secretary, while Angela Rayner was cleared by HMRC over her tax affairs. But it was the announcement by Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, that he would stand down, triggering a byelection, that brought clarity to the chaos engulfing Labour since last week’s election results.
Burnham confirmed he would ask Labour’s national executive committee to allow him to stand in the contest. Allies of Starmer confirmed he would not block him. Burnham said “much bigger change is needed at a national level”, singling out the cost of living crisis as a priority.
“This is why I now seek people’s support to return to parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK,” he added. The byelection in Makerfield, where Reform UK came second last time, is expected within five to six weeks.
Nigel Farage said Reform would “throw absolutely everything” at the contest. Burnham’s backers, including Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband, support his leadership bid. One senior backer said: “Andy needs to be given a shot. He is the person that connects best with the public.”
