Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has a potential route back to parliament and a chance to become Labour’s next leader after an MP said he would trigger a byelection by standing down from his seat. The move ended days of speculation and underlined the increasingly precarious nature of Keir Starmer’s premiership.
In a day of high drama, Wes Streeting quit as health secretary after seemingly failing to get the numbers to launch a challenge against the prime minister. Meanwhile, Angela Rayner was cleared by HMRC over her tax affairs, paving the way for her own return to frontline politics.
Burnham confirmed he would ask Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) to allow him to stand in the contest. Allies of Starmer confirmed that he would not seek to block him, after MPs across the party shared their concerns. Burnham said “much bigger change is needed at a national level”, singling out the cost of living crisis as a priority for his campaign.
The decision by Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, which Labour holds with a majority of slightly more than 5,000, paves the way for a crucial byelection in the Greater Manchester seat, where Reform UK came second last time. Nigel Farage said his party would “throw absolutely everything” at the contest in what will be an attempt to derail one of Labour’s biggest figures.
In a letter to constituents, Simons said: “I do not believe this government is delivering the urgent, radical, brave reform we need. We need a new direction. I believe that Andy Burnham can provide it.” A byelection contest takes about five to six weeks, meaning the earliest Burnham could return to parliament would be early July.
