UK lawmaker resigns seat, clearing path for leadership challenger Burnham

LONDON - British Labour lawmaker Josh Simons on Thursday said he would resign from his seat in parliament in a move designed to give Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham a chance to return to parliament and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"Today, I am putting the people I represent and the country I love first and will be resigning as MP for Makerfield," Simons wrote on X.

"I am standing aside so that Andy Burnham can return to his home, fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for."

Earlier on Thursday, Labour's Wes Streeting resigned as health minister and called for a leadership contest to oust Starmer.

Simons cannot transfer the seat to Burnham. Instead, a special election would have to be held to replace him, in which other parties can also compete.

Simons won the Makerfield seat in Greater Manchester at the 2024 election with a majority of 5,399 votes over a candidate from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.

Since that vote, Reform's popularity has risen sharply as Labour's has dipped, meaning the seat will likely be tightly contested.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, writing by William James)

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 12:18 PM.