Labour MP stands aside as Andy Burnham eyes return to Parliament

[Twiglets1]

A scandal-hit Labour MP will give up his seat to make way for Andy Burnham, in the Manchester mayor’s first step to challenging Sir Keir Starmer for No 10.

Josh Simons, a former minister, said on Thursday that he was “standing aside so that Andy Burnham can return to his home, fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for”.

It will trigger a by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency of Makerfield, which has been held by the Labour Party since it was created in 1983.

Mr Simons is a former minister who was forced to resign over his involvement in a smear campaign against journalists carried out while he ran the think tank Labour Together.

“It is my unwavering belief that nothing short of urgent, radical, courageous reform will make a difference,” he said. “That must start with a change in leadership.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/14/keir-starmer-live-rayner-wes-streeting-leadership-contest/

This. I actually hope that Reform wins the seat. The government and the Labour Party are disgraceful. Again, pigs in the trough, motivated by spite and personal interest. The clowns couldn’t actually hold it together for two years, they are that dysfunctional.

Suppose they are banking on the Tories being left trailing. Josh Simons won comfortably in 2024; even if Reform picked up the Tory votes this time the Labour candidate (Burnham obv) would be likely to win, narrowly. But that doesn't take into account Labour's current unpopularity. Didn't Reform do very well there last week?
Any by-election will be months away and God knows what will happen between now and then to plunge the govt into more crisis. I'd be surprised if Burnham won really.

Makerfield resident... will be voting for AB. As will my DH and my friends who I have discussed it with this evening.

What happens if Starmer just refuses to go though ? What if no candidate gets enough MPs to back them ? Stalemate?
We’d have a PM with a government that half of which wants him out but can’t get out…therefore nothing will get done.

Whoever is the Labour leader will have the same problems though ;

The economy
NHS
Small boats crossings, gangs.
Welfare state
Gaza and Israel
Iran war
The ongoing cost of living crisis
Trump
The threat of Reform and Greens

How can anyone in Labour navigate all this? Half the Labour Party want to move more left while nationally Reform are doing well.

It just seems impossible

Even if Burnham does manage to catapult himself back into Parliament, how does he get elected leader? That's a long drawn-out process. I can't think of anyone else who has stood for office with the sole intention of deposing the PM. It's so bizarre and unprecedented, like some kind of one-man coup. Have they taken soundings of the membership to see if there's any real support for Burnham in a leadership contest? If not, why are they moving heaven and earth to get him a seat? As far as I was aware, the members are keener on Ed Miliband, God help us.

Hilarious from a pp hoping Reform beat Labour’s ‘pigs in a trough’. £5 million just small change round your way? The dissonance is incredible.

Yep, because we are loaded here. I’m actually not a Reform voter. I’m a Labour voter of three decades. I have had enough. This is what the party is not understanding. I am not alone. Andy Burnham is not the new messiah. I am cheesed off that after 14 years in the wilderness, the useless dickheads could not even keep it together for two years. The Labour Party has a self-destruct button. Oh, and I will qualify my pigs in the trough comment with specific reference to Angela Rayner and her tax ‘mistake’ which she has finally resolved, as if she has any chance at the prime minister job. I will just add, as the single parent of two adopted children with complex needs, this government has absolutely fucked my family over by decimating the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and moving to reduce SEND provision in schools. As I say, I hope Labour loses the by-election.

In 1964 the newly elected labour government had a tiny majority and Patrick Gordon Walker tipped to be foreign secretary failed to get elected following a racist campaign against him. Another mp was persuaded to fall on their sword and Gordon Walker stood only failing to get elected and reducing the majority to almost nothing. So Labour beware the electorate do not like to be manipulated.

DH and I were discussing this and I said the same - if I were Reform, I would throw absolutely everything I have at winning this seat. The by-election is going to be a dystopian nightmare of Reform-led hijinks 😂

The party went wrong when it chose the bacon butty-mangling Ed Miliband over his much more intelligent brother. I actually can’t believe that there’s talk of the wrong Miliband brother being leader.

I’m quite enjoying the political wrangling currently. Only because it’s a break from watching news about the wars.

The political situation is unprecedented and if you can put the concerns for our country to one side, it’s actually fascinating.

Me too!

Well considering all 11 seats in the constituency went to Reform councillors last week, I don't fancy his chances.

He isn't mayor of Manchester. He is mayor of the borough of Greater Manchester.

I hope as many people as possible do. A Reform MP will be the worst thing to ever happen to our area.

😂

Don't think that comment will age well but time will tell.

Yes was discussing this with a friend yesterday.
Starmer is actually playing this quite well (for his own benefit I mean).
Never mind that everyone hates him /that’s irrelevant when the roolz say he can’t be removed without one candidate having 81 backers..
He must be having s secret chuckle about that…

Unfortunately I think it will and it's something I genuinely fear as someone who lives in Makerfield.

It’d be so ironic if he didn’t win. There’s no guarantee he will going by today’s political landscape.

I don't think either Streeting or Burnham would have resigned from their very lucrative jobs if they weren't confident they could get 81 backers.

Again time will tell - but I think there is going to be a proper leadership challenge with several candidates. Starmer could still win the contest of course.

That is where the political shitshow started in my opinion. Ed’s crap leadership paved the way for Tory’s Cameron who called the Brexit vote and then it snowballed from there.

Has Burnham resigned?

Another Makerfield resident here who will be voting for Burnham, as will DH, my adult dc and the neighbours who were talking about it on the group chat this morning.