A Labour MP is stepping aside for Andy Burnham.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wants to stand in the Makerfield by-election(Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
Andy Burnham could soon be back in Parliament.
The Greater Manchester Mayor has announced his intention to stand in the Makerfield by-election, which was triggered by Josh Simons MP standing down.
Mr Simons stepped aside to make way for Mr Burnham to run, saying he is ‘putting the people I represent and the country I love first’.
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Shortly afterwards, the Greater Manchester mayor announced his plan to stand in the race. He said: “I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election.
“I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics.”
The Makerfield constituency, based in the borough of Wigan, was won by Labour in the 2024 general election, with a 5,000-vote majority.
It was a bruising night for Labour as the party took a hammering across the country, and in the aftermath of the result Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced growing pressure to stand down, and calls for a Labour leadership contest.
But what happened in the Wigan council local elections on May 7, and what could it tell us about the Makerfield by-election?
Labour suffered catastrophic losses in Wigan’s local elections as voters gave them “a kicking”, with Reform UK winning 24 out of 25 seats up for grabs in the borough.
Reform’s leader Coun Paul Watson described the results as “unprecedented” – and the only ward where his party did not win was in Atherton North where independent councillor Jamie Hodgkinson came out on top.
In fact, it’s been tough going for Labour for months in council elections, with the party also losing a Salford council by-election in April.
The party also suffered heavily in other parts of Greater Manchester. It lost its grip on power in Tameside after 47 years as the council was plunged into no overall control, with Reform UK winning 18 out of the 19 seats up for grabs on May 7.
Labour also lost the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, finishing third behind Reform and the Green Party who won the race, when Hannah Spencer was elected as an MP.
All of this could mean the Makerfield by-election is a difficult fight for Andy Burnham to win.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said tonight: “We look forward to the Makerfield by-election. Reform will throw absolutely everything at it.”
But Mr Burnham will be confident in his record as Greater Manchester Mayor.
Policies such as bringing buses under local control and price caps on single journeys have proved widely popular among voters, and he enjoys support across the region.
Since Andy Burnham became Greater Manchester Mayor in 2017, he has been re-elected twice, each time picking up more than 60 per cent of the total votes.
Mr Burnham’s first stint in Parliament was also in nearby Leigh, where he represented the area until 2017 before running for Greater Manchester Mayor.
The decision on whether Andy Burnham is allowed to stand in the Makerfield by-election now rests with the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee.
