Inside Andy Burnham’s Search for Commons Seat – Guido Fawkes

REVEALED: Inside Andy Burnham’s Search for Commons Seat

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Rumours are flying around Tameside Labour circles that Andy Burnham’s plan to return to Westminster may come sooner than expected. Sources on the ground say Andrew Gwynne, Labour MP for Gorton and Denton, wants to leave Parliament as soon as he has another job lined up. Triggering a by-election…

Gwynne led Burnham’s mayoral campaign in 2016, and the pair remain close. They are said to have had a meeting recently about what comes next, should Gwynne step down. If Burnham stands, he would have to resign as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, given the mayoralty holds police and crime responsibilities. So there would be a by-election for the mayoralty too… 

All this would create quite the headache for Labour. There are concerns Reform could win in Gorton and Denton unless Burnham stands, and Labour is scaling up its Tameside campaign personnel operation with a hiring drive – an indication of its nervousness. The question of who could succeed Burnham as mayor isn’t easily answered either. Sacha Lord was supposedly a “shoo-in“, although his £400,000 Covid grant controversy complicates things. Current deputy mayor Kate Green is another name, but lacks the profile. Sam Tarry has been spotted with his soulmate Angela Rayner at events in Tameside recently, and even addressed the Ashton-under-Lyne CLP at their last meeting…