A potential route for Andy Burnham to return to the House of Commons is about to open up, with the looming resignation of a Labour MP.
The Guardian reports that Andrew Gwynne is expected to announce on Thursday afternoon that he is stepping down as MP for Gorton & Denton in the North West.
Gwynne was a former health minister who had the Labour whip removed over offensive WhatsApp messages.
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By stepping down, this could open the way for Manchester mayor Burnham to stand in the seat and return to the House of the Commons as an MP.
This would then make him eligible to finally challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, something that has been widely rumoured to be on the cards for months.
However, to secure a nomination as a Labour candidate for the seat, Burnham would need to get permission from the National Executive Committee of the Labour party, something that would likely prove difficult.
Gwynne has been away from Parliament on sick leave, and the Times reports that talks have taking place regarding him taking medical retirement in February. This would then allow a by-election to be held on the same day as May’s local elections.
Last February, offensive messages written by Gwynne in a WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers emerged.
One of the messages included Gwynne saying he hoped a pensioner who did not vote Labour would die before the next election.