Andy Burnham has path to challenge PM but must win byelection first

Greater Manchester mayor would need to win Makerfield seat before launching campaign for Labour leadership Andy Burnham now has a potential route back to parliament and a chance to become Labour’s next leader after an MP said he would trigger a byelection by standing down from his seat. The move ended days of speculation about whether Burnham could secure a possible path back into Westminster, and underlined the increasingly precarious nature of Keir Starmer’s premiership. In a day of high drama, Wes Streeting quit as health secretary after seemingly failing to get the numbers to launch a challenge against the prime minister. Meanwhile, Angela Rayner was cleared by HMRC over her tax affairs, paving the way for her own return to frontline politics. But it was the announcement by a Greater Manchester MP that he would be standing down, triggering a byelection, that finally brought some clarity to the chaos that has engulfed the Labour party since last week’s crushing election results. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, confirmed he would ask Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) to allow him to stand in the contest. Allies of Starmer confirmed that he would not seek t