Makerfield MP quits to pave way for Andy Burnham’s bid to become Prime Minister – NATIONAL NEWS

Josh Simons has announced he will step down as MP for Makerfield in Wigan, paving the way for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to return to Parliament and challenge Keir Starmer in a bid to become Prime Minister before the next general election in 2029.

The move will trigger a by-election in the constituency, which Labour has held since it was created in 1983.

In a letter to constituents released on Thursday, Mr Simons said 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”.

Mr Simons, who has represented the seat since the 2024 general election, described the decision as “the hardest” of his life but said he believed the country needed “urgent, radical, brave reform”.

He criticised Westminster and Whitehall, claiming they had become barriers to delivering change for towns including Ashton, Hindley and Platt Bridge.

“The truth is, complacency has become a rot,” he wrote.

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“The establishment is so far from the realities of your lives that too many tweak a failing system just to stay in power.”

In his resignation statement, Mr Simons highlighted local campaigns including efforts to secure flood defences, plans for new health centres, and work to clean up an illegal waste dump.

He praised Mr Burnham’s involvement in those issues and said the mayor had “fought for us all his life”.

“I believe that Andy Burnham can provide” a new direction for the country, he wrote. “Andy is from us and for us.”

Mr Burnham later confirmed he would seek selection for the seat and said he wanted to bring the changes introduced in Greater Manchester to the national stage.

“Over the last decade, I have been challenging this failure from the outside and building a new and better way of doing politics,” he said.

“We have built Greater Manchester into the fastest growing city region in the UK and put buses back under public control.”

He added that “much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again”.

The announcement has intensified divisions within Labour after Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary this afternoon and called for a Labour leadership contest saying Mr Burnham should be part of it.

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage said Reform UK would “throw absolutely everything” at the upcoming by-election.

Although Makerfield has traditionally been regarded as a safe Labour seat, Reform UK finished second there at the last general election with 32 per cent of the vote, behind Labour’s 45 per cent.

Reform also won all ten seats contested in Wigan during the recent local elections, increasing pressure on Labour ahead of the by election battle.

Senior Labour figures warned the contest could present risks for the party. Pat McFadden said any unnecessary by election was “always a political risk” and stressed that Labour’s candidate would still need to go through the party’s formal selection process.