LONDON, May 15 — Josh Simons, a British Labour member of parliament (MP), resigned on Thursday so that Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham could replace him in his constituency through a by-election.
This would pave the way for Burnham’s return to the House of Commons. He is widely seen as a potential challenger to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership in the Labour Party.
In Simons’ resignation letter on social media, the Makerfield MP said the government failed to deliver the changes needed for his constituency, so he decided to “make way for a leader who has the radicalism, energy and immense courage to meet the moment.”
Burnham later confirmed on social media that he would be requesting permission from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to stand in the Makerfield by-election.
A former MP in the House of Commons for 16 years, Burnham has been the mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. His previous effort to return to Westminster was blocked by the NEC earlier this year.
According to British media, Burnham is widely seen as capable of securing enough support within the Labour Party to mount a leadership challenge against Starmer. However, becoming an MP is a precondition for eligibility to contest the party leadership.
Meanwhile, Starmer is facing mounting pressure to resign after Labour’s fiasco in last week’s local elections. British media reported that more than 90 Labour MPs had called on the prime minister to step down, while several cabinet ministers rallied behind him.
British Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned on Thursday afternoon in a letter that said he had “lost confidence” in Starmer’s leadership and could no longer remain in government “honorably and on principle.”
He also implied that Starmer would not lead Labour into the next general election and urged the party to hold an open leadership debate. In response, Starmer said he was sorry to see Streeting resign and urged the party to rise to “a battle for the soul of our nation” and deliver on their promises to the country.
On Wednesday, Starmer warned that a leadership challenge against him would plunge the Labour Party into “chaos,” as speculation mounted over a possible move to replace him following the party’s poor local election results.
