Andrew Gwynne To Stand Down As Labour MP
3 min read
Andrew Gwynne has confirmed that he is standing down as a Labour MP, reigniting speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could launch a bid to return to Parliament.
Gwynne, a former health minister, was suspended from the Labour Party in February last year after offensive WhatsApp messages were leaked. He has also been the subject of an investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards.
He apologised at the time for his "badly misjudged" comments and any offence caused.
Gwynne announced on Thursday that he had decided to stand down on health grounds, paving the way for a by-election in his Gorton and Denton constituency in Manchester.
In a statement, he said he has "suffered significant ill-health over most of the 21 years I've served as an MP, and this has been greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages".
He added: "To those I upset, offended or angered, I sincerely and humbly apologise - they are not who I am - and to those who stuck with me and supported me, though some of the most difficult mental health challenges of my life, I will be forever grateful to you. You probably saved my life at its lowest point."
In his statement, Gwynne included "professional health advice" sent by his GP to the House of Commons authorities that said "despite treatment and support" received since he was suspended from Labour last year, there was still concern of "a marked dissociation between the reality of his difficulties and the 'front' that he shows to the world".
The GP also said that Gwynne remains "on a very high dose of medication".
"I do not think that he will be able safely to return to work as an MP," the GP concluded.
Gwynne said that he had now applied to vacate his 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."
Before the announcement, The Times reported that Gwynne taking a medical retirement would allow a by-election to elect his successor to potentially take place on the same day as the 7 May local elections.
Attention will now turn to whether Burnham, widely seen as a candidate to succeed Keir Starmer, will put himself forward as a candidate.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has refused to rule out a return to Parliament if the opportunity arises. He is a popular figure with a significant number of Labour MPs, particularly on the left of the party. However, other parts of Labour have expressed irritation towards Burnham's leadership ambitions.
It remains to be seen whether Labour's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) would approve Burnham as the party's candidate.
While Labour won the constituency with a 13,413 majority at the last election, recent polls have indicated a tight contest between Labour and Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
Speaking earlier today, Starmer said the NEC would set out the process for choosing a candidate "in the usual way", but would be drawn on whether he would support a Burnham bid.
"Andy Burnham is doing an excellent job as Mayor of Manchester. We work very closely together," the Prime Minister said.
"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.”
