Former health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked as a minister and suspended from the Labour Party last year over offensive messages in a WhatsApp group named Trigger Me Timbers
Suspended Labour MP Andrew Gwynne has announced he will stand down from the Commons – paving the way for Andy Burnham’s possible return to Westminster.
The former health minister was sacked as a minister and suspended from the Labour Party last year over offensive messages in a WhatsApp group named Trigger Me Timbers.
In a statement today, the MP confirmed he will resign from the Commons for medical reasons. It will trigger fevered speculation in the Labour Party the Greater Manchester Mayor Mr Burnham could stand in the by-election and challenge Keir Starmer’s position.
Earlier, Mr Burnham insisted he was “in the dark” over Mr Gwynne’s decision. He added: “I have been very focused on my role as Mayor of Greater Manchester and I think the [reindustrialisation] plan I put out this week shows that.”
READ MORE: Andy Burnham gives verdict on suspended Labour MP quitting – ‘I’m in the dark’
If Mr Burnham did wish to stand in any by-election he would need the approval of Labour’s governing body – the National Executive Committee – which is viewed as loyal to Mr Starmer.
It could potentially block the Greater Manchester Mayor from standing but there were already warnings on Thursday such a move would be a “democratic outrage”.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright said: “It would be a democratic outrage if Andy Burnham was blocked from seeking selection as Labour’s by-election candidate in this seat. 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. “
Earlier, Mr Starmer would not say whether he supported Mr Burnham standing as an MP if a vacancy comes up in a Greater Manchester seat. The PM said: “It is a very early stage, and the National Executive Committee 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.”
In a statement today, Mr Gwynne said: “It has been the honour of my life to have been an elected representative for almost exactly three decades, representing my home community firstly as a Denton West Councillor on Tameside Council and then in the House of Commons as MP for Denton and Reddish and more recently for Gorton and Denton”
Mr Gwynne said he had “suffered significant ill-health over most of the 21 years I’ve served as an MP”, which had been “greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages”.
He shared a message from his GP about his ongoing health problems which read: “I do not think that he will be able to safely return to work as an MP.”
Mr Gwynne added: “I have therefore applied to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to seek the office of Crown Steward of the Manor of Northstead, an archaic procedure to be able to vacate my seat as an MP. There will be a by-election soon and I wish my successor, whoever it is, all the very best in representing what I consider to be the best constituency in the UK.”
A Labour spokesman 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.”