Josh Simons Resigns as Makerfield MP

Josh Simons, the current MP for Makerfield, announced he is standing down to allow Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham the chance to run for Parliament. Simons said he will stand down to give Burnham the opportunity, telling the BBC he was confident Burnham could win the seat but admitted there was a "really tough fight" on his hands.

The Makerfield constituency is home to around 76,000 voters in the suburbs of Wigan and nearby former mining towns and villages.

It has been a safe Labour seat since it was created in 1983. 2 percent of the vote and a majority of 5,399. 8 percent, with the Conservatives third, Lib Dems fourth and Greens fifth.

Reform UK swept the board in local council elections in Makerfield, pulling in roughly 50 percent of the vote share while Labour received roughly 27 percent. The Greens took roughly 10 percent, Conservatives 7 percent and Lib Dems 4 percent. Reform gained 24 seats on Wigan Council, including in two wards in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

7 percent to win it. Burnham was elected MP for the Leigh constituency four times before becoming Greater Manchester mayor in 2017. He was re-elected for a second term as Greater Manchester mayor in May 2021.

4 percent of the vote, receiving 66 percent of the vote in Wigan. Burnham does not have to stand down as mayor to stand in the by-election and will only resign from that position if he wins and becomes an MP. The earliest a by-election in Makerfield could be held is Thursday, 18 June.

Sir Keir Starmer is due to be at a G7 summit in France during the week of 18 June. Andy Burnham will need to be chosen as Labour's candidate by officers on the party's National Executive Committee. The NEC previously blocked Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February.

The prime minister will not seek to block Burnham this time. Burnham will also have to be approved by the local Labour Party in Makerfield. Wes Streeting said Andy Burnham "is the best chance of winning" the Makerfield by-election for Labour.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice told Politico Labour would have "less than 5% chance" in the Makerfield by-election "if it were anyone other than Andy Burnham" as a candidate. Nigel Farage promised that his party will "throw everything" at the Makerfield contest.

Richard Tice, Reform UK's deputy leader, said the party was aiming to "make Burnham history" and would be "throwing everything possible" at ensuring a "seismic" win.

Local reaction was mixed. " Retired resident Stan Crook told BBC Radio Manchester this has been a Labour stronghold for 45 years but "I do think he'll really struggle with this one," citing a lack of faith in the current Labour leadership. " Helen Raymond admitted to being "quite surprised" by how strongly the Reform vote grew at the local elections but said she was "quietly optimistic," pointing to Burnham's involvement in the development of Leigh Sport Village and his response to illegal rubbish dumps.

The Green Party has started the selection process for its candidate in Makerfield. Former Green leader Caroline Lucas said she hoped the Green Party would not contest the seat in order to give Burnham the best chances of seeing off the challenge from Reform and wrote "There are times when it's more important to put country before party.