Politics Home Article | Josh Simons To Step Down As MP To Pave Way For Andy Burnham

(Alamy)

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Simons, MP for Makerfield, posted on X that he was standing aside so the mayor of Manchester could enter Parliament and “drive the change our country is crying out for.” Burnham will have to be approved by the NEC to stand as a candidate and step down from his current position as mayor. 

Simons said it had not been an easy decision but he said Burnham provided the last chance to provide the change the country needed. 

In his statement, the outgoing MP said: “For decades, Westminster has overseen the managed decline of towns like mine. We have talked big, then acted small, stuck in a politics of incrementalism that cannot meet the moment. We have lost the trust of those our party was built to serve. It is my unwavering belief that nothing short of urgent, radical, courageous reform will make a difference. That must start with a change in leadership.

“Today, I am putting the people I represent and the country I love first and will be resigning as MP for Makerfield. 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.”

At the last election, Simons won a majority of 5,399 votes, with Reform coming in second place. Makerfield has been Labour since its inception, but has been moving rightwards  for the last decade. A victory for Burnham in a by-election would in itself therefore make a strong case that he should be allowed to run for the Labour leadership.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “We look forward to the contest and we will throw absolutely everything at it.”

Simons added: “This has not been an easy decision. This is my family’s home, where only a few weeks ago, doctors and nurses at Wigan Infirmary saved our newborn son’s life. But we all must make choices and in recent days I found myself with a difficult one: defend the status quo or step forward and act.

“I have made my choice. I am in politics because politics is how you change lives for the better. My party has one last chance to do that: deliver for the people and places I represent, drive economic growth, secure our borders, reform our state and politics, and change a status quo that is not working. That is the fight. I believe Andy is the one to lead it.”

Burnham has been trying to locate a seat in the North West for the last few days, as Keir Starmer has faced mounting leadership challenges since the local elections. 

Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary on Thursday morning after he had lost confidence in the prime minister. He said a future leadership contest should be broad and protracted to allow the best candidates to challenge one another. 

Burnham said he will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the by-election, claiming he grew up close to Makerfield for 25 years.  

In a statement, he said: “Millions are struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed. It has already made changes to make life better for them in its first two years. After this week, we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the Prime Minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the by-election takes place.”

Burnham addded that he wanted to recognise the “difficult decision” taken by Simons. 

The Manchester mayor added: “Finally, I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times. We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again.”

In the recent local elections, Reform UK won all eight wards by a comfortable margin. The breakdown of the results were:

Reform: 50.4 per cent

Labour: 22.7 per cent

Green: 10.9 per cent

Conservative: 9.9 per cent

Lib Dem: 3.8 per cent

Other: 2.2 per cent