UK lawmaker resigns seat, clearing path for leadership challenger Burnham
Labour MP Josh Simons is resigning his seat to pave the way for Andy Burnham to re-enter Parliament and potentially challenge Keir Starmer, amidst growing calls for a leadership contest.
- Josh Simons' resignation to facilitate Andy Burnham's return.
- Calls for a Labour leadership challenge against Keir Starmer.
- The upcoming, potentially tight Makerfield by-election.
LONDON: British Labour lawmaker Josh Simons on Thursday said he would resign from his seat in parliament in a move designed to give Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham a chance to return to parliament and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“Today, I am putting the people I represent and the country I love first and will be resigning as MP for Makerfield,” Simons wrote on X.
“I am 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.”
Earlier on Thursday, Labour’s Wes Streeting resigned as health minister and called for a leadership contest to oust Starmer.
Simons cannot transfer the seat to Burnham. Instead, a special election would have to be held to replace him, in which other parties can also compete.
Simons won the Makerfield seat in Greater Manchester at the 2024 election with a majority of 5,399 votes over a candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Since that vote, Reform’s popularity has risen sharply as Labour’s has dipped, meaning the seat will likely be tightly contested.
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