Labour MP to stand down to allow Burnham run for byelection amid leadership row

Andy Burnham now has a route back to parliament after a Greater Manchester MP announced he would stand down, triggering a byelection, and putting Burnham in contention to become the next Labour leader.

The Greater Manchester mayor has been seeking to return to parliament for months, but was blocked by Keir Starmer from running in the Gorton and Denton byelection at the start this year, to the anger of his supporters inside the party.

The decision by Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, which Labour holds with a majority of just over 5,000, paves the way for Burnham to be selected by Labour’s ruling national executive committee, which prevented him last time.

The prime minister’s authority has been critically undermined in recent days after an angry response from Labour MPs to last week’s local and devolved elections, including the resignation of the health secretary, Wes Streeting, and around 100 MPs calling for him to go.

Sources close to Starmer have suggested he may no longer be in a position to block Burnham’s return, even if it meant a leadership contest at some point before the next general election, as MPs from right across the party would respond furiously if he did so.

One senior Burnham backer told the Guardian: “If you’ve got people from Angela [Rayner] to Wes saying it, then the whole party is now in the same place on this. Andy needs to be given a shot. He is the person that connects best with the public. It would be foolish to try to block him again.”

More details soon …