A shamed MP today confirmed he is quitting the House of Commons and will open up a route for Andy Burnham to return to Westminster to challenge Sir Keir Starmer.
Andrew Gwynne, a former health minister who had the Labour whip removed in February last year, announced he is standing down from Parliament.
He is leaving the Commons on medical grounds, which will trigger a by-election in his Gorton and Denton constituency, after reportedly tying up a deal on his pension.
His exit has revived speculation that Mr Burnham will put his name forward for the parliamentary contest, with an eye on later challenging Sir Keir as Labour leader.
Mr Burnham, 56, who was MP for Leigh between 2001 and 2017 before being elected to the mayoralty, has been a fierce critic of the Prime Minister.
He has repeatedly refused to rule out a future bid for the Labour leadership, amid claims Sir Keir could be toppled following his rocky first 18 months in Downing Street.
But Mr Burnham would first have to be approved as an MP candidate by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, which is dominated by Starmer loyalists.
Even if chosen to be Labour’s parliamentary hopeful, Mr Burnham would still have to win a bitter by-election against Reform UK.
Nigel Farage’s party are vowing to ‘throw everything’ at the Gorton and Denton contest.
Earlier today, Mr Burnham insisted he was ‘in the dark’ about Mr Gwynne’s plans – although he appeared to not rule out standing in a by-election.
Sir Keir would not say whether he supported Mr Burnham standing as an MP. He warned Labour MPs not to ‘waste’ time talking about leadership challenges.
Andrew Gwynne, a former health minister who had the Labour whip removed in February last year, has announced he is standing down from Parliament
The Gorton and Denton MP confirmed he is bringing to an end his 21-year career in Parliament on medical grounds
Andy Burnham, who was MP for Leigh between 2001 and 2017 before being elected as Greater Manchester mayor, has been a fierce critic of the Prime Minister
Mr Burnham told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: ‘It’s not been confirmed to me.
‘I’ve had no contact on this issue with Andrew or anyone close to him. I know him of old of course but I’m as in the dark about this as anyone.
‘People shouldn’t rush to conclusions. I have been very focused on my role as Mayor of Greater Manchester.’
Speaking to broadcasters, the PM said: ‘It is a very early stage, and the NEC of the Labour Party will set out the process in the usual way, as it always does for by-elections.
‘Andy Burnham is doing an excellent job as mayor of Manchester. We work very closely together.
‘Last year, we were responding together to the terrible attack on a synagogue in Manchester.
‘More recently, we were working together on Northern Powerhouse Rail.
‘I think Andy would acknowledge that working with this Government has been much better than the experience he had of working with previous governments.’
Asked about the possibility of a leadership challenge by Mr Burnham, Sir Keir later told Channel 4 News: ‘My message is to my entire party, and that is that every minute we waste talking about anything other than the cost of living and stability in Europe and across the globe, is a wasted minute.
‘And I spend my time on the cost of living, the cost of living, the cost of living and doing what I need to do internationally to ensure that we have a stable and safe environment for everybody in this country.’
Confirming he is quitting the Commons in a Facebook post this afternoon, Mr Gwynne said he had ‘suffered significant ill-health over most of the 21 years I’ve served as an MP’.
The independent MP added this had been ‘greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events’ – when he was sacked as a minister and had the Labour whip removed following the emergence of offensive messages in a WhatsApp group.
Mr Gwynne shared a note from his GP to the Commons authorities that stated he would not be able ‘safely to return to work as an MP’.
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.
‘While Reform fill their ranks with more and more Tories who failed the country, people living in Gorton and Denton will soon have the opportunity to elect a local champion and Labour MP who will be relentlessly focused on tackling the cost of living, cutting NHS waiting lists and bringing investment and jobs to the local community.’
Sources said a Labour candidate for the upcoming by-election would be selected in due course, in line with the party’s rules and procedures.
A Reform spokesman said: ‘If the by-election happens, then Reform will throw everything at it.
‘It’s a huge ask for anyone to beat Labour in Manchester but we will give it our all.’
It is reported that talks had been held about Mr Gwynne taking medical retirement in time for a by-election to be held on the same day as May’s local elections.
As well as being sacked as a health minister and suspended from Labour in February last year, Mr Gwynne was also put under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog.
Mr Gwynne shared a note from his GP to the Commons authorities that stated he would not be able ‘safely to return to work as an MP’
Allies of Mr Burnham last month told The Mail on Sunday he was poised to secure a deal to fight a by-election to return to the Commons.
This would then allow the former Cabinet minister, dubbed ‘The King of the North’, to formally launch a challenge against Sir Keir if he could rally the support of MPs.
But there is no guarantee that Mr Burnham will be chosen as Labour’s candidate in a by-election – as Starmer loyalists dominate Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) – or that he would go on to win a contest.
A loyalist Labour MP told the Daily Mail: ‘He absolutely will not get through an NEC panel.’
The Labour Party’s latest rule book states that directly-elected mayors, such as Mr Burnham, must ‘seek the express permission’ of party officials before trying to be nominated as a party candidate for a Westminster contest.
There are also suggestions that the NEC could opt for an all-female shortlist of by-election candidates, as the gender balance in the Parliamentary Labour Party has fallen below 50 per cent.
Steve Wright, the general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said it would be a ‘democratic outrage’ if Mr Burnham was blocked from being Labour’s by-election candidate.
‘In the event that a by-election takes place, as an affiliated union, the FBU will not stand by and allow senior Labour politicians like Andy to be carved out of this process,’ he said.
‘Our union will fiercely resist any attempts to stitch up the selection.
‘It’s vital that there is a full and open democratic procedure to choose Labour’s candidate to fight this by-election.
‘Anything less would be unacceptable.’
One Labour source said the cost of fighting a Manchester mayoral election would be another reason to stop Mr Burnham.
However, they said they would be ‘amazed’ if it was allowed to get to the point where he had to be blocked.
‘Someone needs to sit down and explain to Andy the challenges,’ the source said.
‘But if came to it, I think the NEC would block not least because of the money it would cost the party.’
On the cost of a mayoral election, one MP warned: ‘The party is skint.’
Mr Burnham has refused to rule out a bid for the Labour leadership amid claims Sir Keir Starmer, pictured at Chequers today, could be challenged
Even if chosen to be Labour’s by-election candidate, Mr Burnham would still have to win a bitter by-election contest against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK
Mr Gwynne won his Gorton and Denton constituency with a 13,000-vote majority at the 2024 general election, ahead of second-placed Reform.
But Mr Farage’s party might now fancy their chances of winning the seat following a surge in their poll ratings since the general election, and a slump in Labour’s popularity.
One Labour veteran told the Daily Mail that Mr Burnham ‘has a lot of supporters in Parliament’.
They played down the prospect of the NEC blocking the Greater Manchester mayor from getting on the shortlist for a Commons seat.
‘It would look extremely weak to bar him from standing, so we don’t expect that to be a major hurdle,’ they added.
A senior Labour MP said the party’s deputy leader Lucy Powell was ‘pushing’ for a resolution in the Gwynne case because it would benefit her Manchester ally Mr Burnham.
‘Lucy is pushing this,’ the MP said. ‘The NEC could face a very tough decision… who do they prefer, Andy Burnham or Reform?
‘Will they back Burnham or will they get a different candidate in who might not win.’
Commons sources suggested the deal being mooted would see Mr Gwynne – who is only 51 – paid up until pension age, at which point he would receive a full Parliamentary pension.
That package could be worth around £1million, according to one insider.
There will also be questions over what happens to the long-running standards investigation into Mr Gwynne, and whether he would face any sanctions if found to have done something wrong.
In February last year, Mr Gwynne said he regretted making ‘badly misjudged’ comments and apologised ‘for any offence I’ve caused’.
The messages in a closed WhatsApp group chat – named ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ – with Labour figures based around Manchester reportedly included sexist, racist and anti-Semitic comments.
Asked on BBC radio about Mr Gwynne stepping down and clearing the way for Mr Burnham in a by-election, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said on Thursday: ‘Andrew Gwynne was a member of my team in opposition and in Government.
‘I’m aware he’s had some very serious health challenges. And you know, for all of the other challenges he’s gone through and some of the difficulties he’s had, I wish him and his family well, and I hope he’s okay. His health has been a real challenge.
‘If indeed there is going to be a by-election, we need to make sure we’ve got a strong candidate, that we fight really hard to win that by-election, and we need our best candidates to come forward.
‘As to who that is, whether or not Andy will throw his hat into the ring, is for Andy to consider, and ultimately for party members to decide. But we need strong candidates.
‘I’ll just say about Andy, having just seen him just earlier this week, whether it’s in Government nationally, or whether it’s leading the city and the region locally, he makes a massive impact and makes a really big difference. He’s someone I’m proud to work with.’
Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart said: ‘This Labour Government promised change, instead we’re seeing the same old chaos as under the Conservatives.
‘Labour are too busy fighting amongst themselves instead of fixing the NHS or tackling the cost of living.
‘People in Gorton and Denton and across the country deserve so much better than this endless soap opera.’
In the days prior to Labour’s conference in Liverpool in September, Mr Burnham had suggested unhappy MPs were privately urging him to challenge the PM.
He then issued a fresh outburst against Sir Keir’s leadership in a fiery speech at a conference fringe event.
But – despite leaving the door open for a future leadership bid – Mr Burnham later backed away following a backlash against his posturing.
Cabinet ministers have not been shy in recent months to tell Mr Burnham to focus on his role as Greater Manchester mayor.
‘All of us in Government and in the Labour Party have a responsibility to focus on the day job and to get on with delivering for the British people,’ Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in December.
And Business Secretary Peter Kyle said in September: ‘I think he [Mr Burnham] is doing an incredible job in Manchester at the moment, I think Manchester really needs him.
‘I love working with him in Manchester. It would be a shame for Manchester to lose him.’
Speaking virtually on an Institute for Government panel this week, Mr Burnham appeared to criticise the missions laid out by Sir Keir’s Government.
‘You’ve got to go to difficult missions as well, haven’t you?,’ he said.
‘The mission to fix social care, the mission to end the housing crisis, the mission to end the cost-of-living crisis.
‘I think people buy in when the mission is really clear and it’s right in front of them and they understand it. That’s an important part of it.’
But Mr Burnham also added: ‘The Government has made a lot of progress, and I applaud them for it.’
