{"id":384755,"date":"2026-01-22T19:47:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/384755\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T19:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T19:47:09","slug":"ex-labour-minister-quits-as-mp-paving-way-for-andy-burnham-return-to-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/384755\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Labour minister quits as MP, paving way for Andy Burnham return to Parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"

Henry Zeffman,chief political correspondentand<\/p>\n

Iain Watson,political correspondent<\/p>\n

\"PAPA Media<\/p>\n

Former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne has announced he is standing down as an MP, paving the way for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to potentially run in a by-election in his Gorton and Denton constituency.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Gwynne said he had suffered “significant ill health” and had been advised by his GP that it wasn’t safe for him to return to work as an MP.<\/p>\n

Gwynne’s resignation possibly opens up a path for Burnham to return to the House of Commons and make a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n

Speaking earlier, Burnham did not rule out such a challenge but said people “shouldn’t rush to conclusions”, adding he was “very focused on my role as mayor”.<\/p>\n

Gwynne was elected as a Labour MP but was suspended from the party in 2025 after a reports he had sent offensive WhatsApp messages.<\/p>\n

His departure from the House of Commons triggers a by-election in his Greater Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton, which Labour won at the last election with a majority of 13,000.<\/p>\n

One senior source told the BBC that Gwynne had reached agreement on a pension on Thursday \u2013 which would allow him to retire as an MP on medical grounds.<\/p>\n

Gwynne said his ill health had been “greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages”.<\/p>\n

He quoted extensively from his GP’s advice, which said: “I worry that there is still a marked dissociation between the reality of his difficulties and the ‘front’ that he shows to the world.”<\/p>\n

The GP continued: “I think that he will remain extremely vulnerable and further stress will cause rapid deterioration as it did in February.<\/p>\n

“I do not think that he will be able to safely return to work as an MP.”<\/p>\n

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “We look forward to local residents in Gorton and Denton soon having the opportunity to get the representation they deserve with a new Labour MP.”<\/p>\n

Labour has not yet set a date for the by-election. Once the party’s chief whip “moves a writ” in Parliament, the contest must be held within 21 to 27 working days.<\/p>\n

Asked about the speculation over Gwynne’s seat, Sir Keir said: “It is a very early stage, and the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party will set out the process in the usual way, as it always does for by-elections.<\/p>\n

“Andy Burnham is doing an excellent job as Mayor of Manchester”.<\/p>\n

There have been suggestions Burnham would like to replace Sir Keir as party leader – but he would only be able to enter any leadership race as a Labour MP. <\/p>\n

If he decides to run in Gorton and Denton, he would need approval to run from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) a body which is generally seen as being supportive of Sir Keir.<\/p>\n

The BBC has been told that some of Sir Keir’s backers would seek to stop Burnham from standing. <\/p>\n

Separately, several Labour sources said they expected the NEC to object on the grounds that Burnham standing for Parliament would in turn trigger a election for the Greater Manchester mayoralty, which would be seen as a drain on party funds as well as politically risky.<\/p>\n

It is also possible that the NEC would insist that there should be an all-women shortlist of possible Labour candidates for a by-election in the Commons because a majority of the party’s MPs are currently men.<\/p>\n

But others in the party questioned whether, if the NEC blocked Burnham from standing, his allies among Labour MPs could force party officials to overturn that decision.<\/p>\n

One well-placed source has suggested that blocking Burnham would not be without political pain but the risk of a leadership contest would be worse. <\/p>\n

If selected as Labour’s candidate, he would still have to win a by-election in Gorton and Denton at a time when the party’s popularity is low – although recent polling suggests Labour could hold on to the seat.<\/p>\n

In the 2024 general election, Gwynne won with 18,000 votes. The Reform UK candidate came second securing 5,000 votes, just ahead of the Greens who picked up 4,810 votes.<\/p>\n

\"PAPA Media<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham has been mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017<\/p>\n

Burnham – a former cabinet minister who has twice stood for the Labour leadership without success – has previously not denied he could challenge Sir Keir, saying: “I’m not going to rule out what might or might not happen in the future.”<\/p>\n

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “This by-election is by no means a certainty for Labour, the left-wing greens will split their vote and we will be the challenger. We will give it our all.”<\/p>\n

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office Spokesperson Lisa Smart said: “People in Gorton and Denton and across the country deserve so much better than this endless soap opera.<\/p>\n

A Green Party spokesperson said they were “prepped and ready to go for any future by-election”.<\/p>\n

“We were deadly serious when we said we are not here to be disappointed with Labour but we are here to replace them.” <\/p>\n

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