Analysis: Andy Burnham’s Path to Parliament Narrows, Yet Makerfield Remains a Daunting Challenge

Two significant obstacles have now been removed from Andy Burnham’s potential return to the House of Commons. The Greater Manchester mayor is free to stand as a parliamentary candidate after a Labour MP announced his resignation. This scenario mirrors the situation prior to the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year, when Sir Keir Starmer reportedly leveraged his influence over the party’s National Executive Committee to prevent Burnham from running. However, Number 10 has signaled it will not intervene this time. Given that nearly a third of the party, including the health secretary and four ministers, have recently demanded the prime minister’s resignation, Sir Keir likely lacked the political capital to block Burnham again even if he had wished to.

With the internal party barriers lifted, the primary challenge remains: can Burnham secure victory in Makerfield? During the general election two years ago, Reform UK finished second to Labour in the constituency, capturing slightly less than a third of the vote. However, the political landscape has shifted dramatically; in last week’s local elections, Reform UK dominated Makerfield, sweeping all 11 wards in and around half of the constituency. Nigel Farage has already declared that his party intends to "throw absolutely everything" at the seat.

Amidst the prospect of a contentious and bitter contest with Reform, early indications suggest a thawing of hostilities within Labour’s internal factions. Josh Simons, the current Labour MP for Makerfield who is stepping down to facilitate Burnham’s candidacy, does not align with Burnham’s political wing. Simons is a close associate of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, whose immigration policies have drawn sharp criticism from the Labour left. Furthermore, Simons previously led the think tank Labour Together, an organization closely linked to the party’s right flank and instrumental in Sir Keir’s leadership bid. Consequently, Simons’s decision to step aside for Burnham is particularly noteworthy.

Burnham’s camp has swiftly branded him a candidate for "unity," hoping this narrative will intensify pressure on Sir Keir to establish a timeline for leaving Downing Street. Privately, members across various factions of Labour have indicated they would back Burnham for the leadership, provided he wins the by-election. This support extends to individuals who have previously championed other leadership contenders. One minister remarked, "I think Josh [Simons] has just single-handedly given the Labour Party a route to winning back the trust of the British people." When asked if this made them a supporter of Burnham as leader, the minister clarified, "If he wins [the by-election] we all are."

Another minister, who had recently advocated for Sir Keir to remain in office, stated, "It's Burnham now, if he can beat Reform." A right-wing MP described Simons’s move as "politically brave," noting that it "allows us to settle the question of if Andy Burnham is the right person for prime minister once and for all."

Labour Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, a close friend of Burnham, voiced her explicit support on Friday. She confirmed she "fully supports" his candidacy in Makerfield and cited "good authority" that there will be no attempt to prevent him from running. Powell emphasized the need for a shift in political culture, stating, "We've got to do our politics differently, we've got to end the factionalism, we've got to embrace all the different traditions of the Labour Party, all the different voices and bring one team back together." She added, "And that means having Andy Burnham as a key player in that team, in my view."

However, this sentiment is not universal. Luke Akehurst, a prominent figure on the right of the party, warned that such internal maneuvering risks triggering a general election within months, creating deep political instability with tangible consequences for the economy and national security. "I am, to put it mildly, unimpressed," Akehurst said. Another critic condemned the actions of both Simons and Burnham as "disgraceful behavior," asserting, "We are the Labour Party."

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-15 10:47:30 UTC