Josh Simons Quits Parliament After 2 Years to Clear Way for Andy Burnham

10 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 14

32-year-old Makerfield MP Josh Simons said he will leave Parliament after just two years, arguing his resignation puts constituents first and delivers a needed “shock to the Westminster system.”
Simons has been backing Andy Burnham as a potential successor to Keir Starmer, and his resignation is intended to open the seat as Burnham weighs a return to Westminster.
The move is striking because Simons had only recently risen fast in government before quitting a Cabinet Office post in February over a scandal involving intelligence-gathering on journalists examining Labour Together.
Burnham praised the “sacrifice” by Simons and his family, but Labour MPs remain split over his role in any Burnham project, with some questioning how Burnham’s soft left allies would work with Simons’ more centrist and Blue Labour ties.

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