Andy Burnham to make bid to return to Commons as pressure mounts on Starmer

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Andy Burnham to make bid to return to Commons as pressure mounts on Starmer5 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleRichard WheelerPolitical reporterPA MediaSir Keir Starmer (left) and Andy BurnhamAndy Burnham will attempt to return to the Commons as an MP, after Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary saying he had lost confidence in Sir Keir Starmer's leadership. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, said he would seek permission to run for Labour in Makerfield after Labour MP Josh Simons said he would resign to make way for him. It came after Streeting resigned calling for a broad debate in the party about what comes next, but he did not say he would run for the Labour leadership.

This followed days of speculation about Sir Keir's future as leader following a disastrous set of election results for Labour. No leadership challenge has been triggered. Earlier on Thursday former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also seen as a potential challenger to Sir Keir, said she had resolved her tax affairs with HMRC.

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Any candidate in a Labour leadership contest to replace Sir Keir must be an MP, with current Makerfield MP Josh Simons announcing on Thursday he would stand down as he believes Burnham can "drive the change our country is crying out for". Burnham said he would seek people's support to return to Parliament in order to "bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people". He added he would "not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people" in the north-west constituency, which Labour held in 2024 with a majority of 5,399 votes over Reform UK.

Reform leader Nigel Farage said the party looked forward to the contest and would "throw absolutely everything at it", with Reform having given Labour a drubbing at recent council elections in the area. Burnham was previously blocked by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) from contesting the Gorton and Denton by-election in February, which Labour lost to the Green Party. The understands Sir Keir will not seek to block Burnham from becoming the Labour candidate in Makerfield.

An ally of Sir Keir said: "Keir is focused on bringing the party together so it can tackle the issues facing working families. "The by-election date is yet to be announced and depends on when the government triggers the formal process. Labour leadership crisis: Follow live updatesWes Streeting's resignation letter in fullAt a glance: Starmer fights to stay on as prime ministerEarlier on Thursday, Streeting became the first cabinet minister to resign blaming the "unpopularity of this government" for Labour's poor results in last week's elections.

He said: "Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords. "Streeting said the country faced big challenges "that require a bold vision and bigger solutions than we are offering".

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.