Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham says he will seek Labour’s permission to run in Makerfield, aiming to return to Parliament amid growing calls for Keir Starmer to step down.
A major Labour leadership storm is colliding with a fresh electoral gamble as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham declared he wants to return to Parliament, with his sights set on No 10.
Burnham said he will seek permission from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to stand in the Makerfield constituency by-election. after the local Labour MP. Josh Simons. said he would step aside to allow the contest.. In a message on X. Burnham framed the move as a chance to put the area he knows “first. ” adding that he grew up there and has lived in the constituency for 25 years.
“ I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election. ” Burnham wrote. describing Makerfield as a place he cares deeply about and arguing that residents “have been let down by national politics.” He also said he wanted Labour to “come back together as a Labour movement. ” urging the party to give Keir Starmer and the government “space and stability” while the by-election is under way.
Burnham’s pitch is careful.. He positioned the by-election as a moment for unity inside the party while acknowledging the strain already visible in Westminster.. He said millions are “struggling” and need the Labour government to succeed. pointing to changes made in Labour’s first two years in office before asking voters and activists to focus on stabilising the party during the contest.
He also publicly thanked Simons for stepping down. calling it a “difficult decision” and noting the “sacrifice” the MP and his family are making.. Burnham said he had worked closely with Simons as mayor on issues including flooding and illegal waste dumping. and he argued that Simons had been effective at elevating communities in Makerfield.
Even with Simons standing aside, Burnham’s next hurdle is not simply winning. He must also secure the NEC’s backing to stand in the by-election. That requirement has become a major issue in Burnham’s attempt to enter Parliament more broadly.
The NEC previously blocked Burnham from a bid to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election.. While the formal explanation for the block was tied to concerns about an “unnecessary” by-election in Manchester for the mayoralty. the decision has been widely interpreted as a bid by Starmer to keep Burnham out of Parliament—particularly if the party moves into a leadership contest.
Burnham’s announcement landed after a volatile day in Westminster that escalated pressure on Starmer from inside Labour ranks.. Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned. saying the party faced a “vacuum” rather than “vision” and “drift” instead of “direction.” He argued Labour’s heavy local election losses were “unprecedented. ” and he signaled that the party needed to confront what he called a lack of strategic clarity.
Streeting’s resignation prompted fresh speculation about whether he would challenge Starmer directly.. He did not mount a formal bid for the prime minister’s job in his resignation letter. but he criticised Starmer’s approach to dissent within the party—saying that “too often” other people had ended up “falling on their swords. ” and suggesting the prime minister does not listen to backbench concerns and uses a “heavy-handed approach.”
At the same time. Streeting stopped short of a direct confrontation and called for a “broad” process to replace Starmer. an approach that he said should include the “best possible field of candidates.” That language revived talk that Burnham could be part of any leadership reshuffle. though it also fed debate about whether Streeting could muster enough support for a formal challenge.
Streeting’s resignation adds to a growing public chorus inside Labour for Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.. Nearly 100 Labour MPs have backed calls for Starmer to leave. and Jess Phillips. a senior Labour figure and a minister. resigned earlier this week. further underscoring how quickly internal criticism has moved from private to public.
Not everyone is moving at the same pace.. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News that Cabinet colleagues backed Starmer and that the party should now “draw a line under all of this.” She said she was sorry to see Streeting go. praising him as a “brilliant health secretary. ” while adding that she fundamentally disagreed with the position he took.
As Labour weighs leadership questions and the political future of some of its best-known figures. Burnham is attempting to convert local credibility into a return to the House of Commons.. His bid for Makerfield by-election is immediately tied to NEC approval. but it also arrives at a time when the party’s internal power struggle is shaping how MPs. ministers. and would-be contenders calculate their next steps.
Andy Burnham Makerfield by-election Labour NEC Keir Starmer Wes Streeting resignation Westminster leadership
wait i thought he was already in parliament this whole time lol
I dont even know who this guy is but why is a Manchester mayor running for something in a whole different place that doesnt even make sense to me. Like just do your job in Manchester or whatever.
This is literally the same thing they always do, some politician says they care about the community and grew up there and all that but then the second they get what they want they forget every single person who voted for them. My uncle worked in local government for 20 years and said the same thing happens every single time without fail. I dont know enough about this Burnham guy specifically but the whole thing just smells like someone who wants more power and is using the hometown angle to make it look better than it is. And what even happened to the other MP why did he just step aside like that thats weird too.
Keir Starmer should just resign already and let someone who actually connects with real people take over. Burnham seems fine I guess.