Burnham cleared to run for selection in Makerfield by-electionpublished at 06:41 BST
06:41 BST
Image source, Reuters
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is one step closer to returning to Westminster, having been cleared by Labour’s ruling body to run for selection in the Makerfield by-election.
Josh Simons announced he would resign as MP for Makerfield, paving the way for a potential return for Burnham. The mayor is widely expected to try and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader.
The BBC understands the by-election is likely to take place on 18 June.
Talk of a leadership contest has dominated Westminster following bruising election results for the Labour Party last week.
Its deputy leader Lucy Powell said on Friday that Burnham was needed as a “key player” in Westminster.
Burnham’s leadership ambitions are no secret – but there are several hurdles he needs to overcome if he wants to ultimately challenge the PM.
First, he needs to be selected as the local party’s candidate. Then he faces the challenge of winning the by-election.
If he wins, Burnham will then need to secure the backing of 81 Labour MPs if he wants to launch a leadership challenge against Starmer.
Meanwhile, Wes Streeting – who resigned as health secretary on Wednesday saying he had “lost confidence” in the PM – has enough support to trigger a race, allies say.
It’s also widely believed that former deputy PM Angela Rayner may also throw her hat in the ring, having now resolved her tax affairs with HMRC.
We’ll bring you key updates throughout the day.