Andy Burnham eyes Makerfield by-election after Josh Simons resigns

Andy Burnham is weighing whether to enter a Makerfield by-election after Josh Simons resigned, turning a newly drawn North West seat into a test of whether Labour is answering local concerns or simply staging another round of national party politics. Any move by Burnham back toward the Commons would need approval from Labour’s National Executive Committee, adding another layer to a contest already shaped by the Manchester mayor’s wider profile and talk of him as a possible challenger to Keir Starmer.

Simons resigned as a minister on 28 February 2026 after a row over material gathered on journalists linked to a thinktank he used to run. He had served as parliamentary secretary in the Cabinet Office from 7 September 2025 to 28 February 2026, and as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from 9 January 2026 to 28 February 2026. Simons said staying in office had become a “distraction”, even after he was cleared of breaking the ministerial code.

The numbers in Makerfield explain why the seat is already drawing attention. Simons won the constituency at the 4 July 2024 general election with 18,202 votes, or 45.2%, giving Labour a majority of 5,399. Reform UK finished second on 12,803 votes and 31.8%, while the Conservatives took 4,379 votes and 10.9%. Turnout was 52.5% from an electorate of 76,641, a result that showed Labour ahead but not comfortably insulated from an anti-Labour challenge if tactical voting weakens.

Makerfield itself is a borough constituency created under the 2024 boundary review, formed from all of the old Makerfield seat and part of Leigh. Its parliamentary history begins only with the 2024 general election, which makes the next contest more than a routine vacancy. For voters in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan and the wider constituency, the question is whether Burnham would bring a credible Commons voice to the area or simply use Makerfield as a platform for a bigger political comeback.

Burnham was first elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in May 2017 and re-elected in May 2021 and May 2024. If he enters the race, Labour would be betting that his name recognition can hold a seat where Reform finished within 13.4 points of the winner last time. In a Parliament where by-elections are watched as a measure of Labour’s standing and the public mood, Makerfield is unlikely to remain a local contest for long.