LONDON, May 14 – 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. REUTERS