Labour’s Gwynne dismisses reports he could resign in Burnham ‘coup’

The former health minister Andrew Gwynne has dismissed as “idle speculation” reports that he could resign his seat as part of an Andy Burnham “coup” against Keir Starmer.

- Josh Halliday North of England editor

Allies of Burnham were reported yesterday to have identified a shortlist of seats to allow the Greater Manchester mayor to return to Westminster in the new year. One of the seats is said to be that of Gwynne, who was suspended by the Labour party in February after a leak of offensive WhatsApp messages.

One source was quoted as saying Burnham allies had found a “nailed on” constituency, while another reportedly said a seat was “likely to come free shortly” before the local elections in May.

In a post on X yesterday, Burnham dismissed the reports as “quite a lot of rubbish”, adding: “Reminds me why I left Westminster in the first place!”