Former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne has announced he is stepping down as an MP, citing serious ill health – a move that will trigger a by-election in Greater Manchester and potentially open the door for Andy Burnham to return to Westminster.
Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton, said he had been advised by his GP that it was not safe for him to return to work as an MP after suffering “significant ill health”, which he said had been “greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages”.
Quoting medical advice, Gwynne said his GP warned: “I think that he will remain extremely vulnerable and further stress will cause rapid deterioration as it did in February. I do not think that he will be able to safely return to work as an MP.”
A senior source told the BBC that Gwynne had reached an agreement on his parliamentary pension, allowing him to retire on medical grounds. His departure triggers a by-election in the Labour-held seat of Gorton and Denton, which the party won at the last general election with a majority of around 13,000.
The resignation has intensified speculation about a potential return to Parliament for Burnham, who has been Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. Burnham has previously not ruled out a future leadership challenge to Keir Starmer, but would need to be an MP to enter any contest.
Speaking earlier, Burnham said people “shouldn’t rush to conclusions”, adding that he was “very focused on my role as mayor”.
Asked about the speculation, Starmer 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.”
Any move by Burnham to stand would require approval from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC). Several Labour sources have suggested the NEC could object on the grounds that Burnham standing for Parliament would trigger a Greater Manchester mayoral election, which would be costly and politically risky for the party.
Others within Labour have warned that blocking Burnham could provoke a backlash among MPs, members and unions. 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.”
Meanwhile, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn described the situation as evidence that Labour was in “crisis” and “stuck in another bitter civil war”.
Gwynne was suspended from Labour in 2025 after reports emerged that he had sent offensive WhatsApp messages, including one disparaging an elderly constituent. He apologised at the time for offence caused, describing the messages as “badly misjudged”. A parliamentary standards investigation, launched 11 months ago, has yet to conclude.
