Angela Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax affairs paving the way for potential leadership bid

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Labour MP to stand down to allow Burnham run for byelection amid leadership row

Andy Burnham now has a route back to parliament after a Greater Manchester MP announced he would stand down, triggering a byelection, and putting Burnham in contention to become the next Labour leader.

The Greater Manchester mayor has been seeking to return to parliament for months, but was blocked by Keir Starmer from running in the Gorton and Denton byelection at the start this year, to the anger of his supporters inside the party.

The decision by Josh Simons, the MP for Makerfield, which Labour holds with a majority of just over 5,000, paves the way for Burnham to be selected by Labour’s ruling national executive committee, which prevented him last time.
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Sources close to Starmer have suggested he may no longer be in a position to block Burnham’s return, even if it meant a leadership contest at some point before the next general election, as MPs from right across the party would respond furiously if he did so.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/14/labour-mp-to-stand-down-to-allow-burnham-run-for-byelection-amid-leadership-row

There is, of course, the possibility that the 5,000 majority might not be enough, given the general swing away from Labour since 2024, and the win by the Greens in the eventual Gorton and Denton byelection. It would certainly be a test of "does Burnham actually have a significant advantage over other Labour figures in the electorate at large?"

For Labour members, he's the most popular choice for party leader: https://labourlist.org/2026/05/labour-leadership-challenge-polling-survation/

in head-to-heads against Starmer, Burnham wins 61% to 28%. Then Ed Miliband is 46% to 39%; Rayner 45% to 41%; and everyone else loses to Starmer.