ANDREW Gwynne has announced he is stepping down as Denton’s MP, bringing an end to 21 years in Parliament.
The decision – which he says is for health reasons – has already fuelled talk of a possible Westminster comeback for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
It is suggested a by-election could take place on Thursday, May 7 – the same day as local elections. If Mr Burnham stands and is elected, the former Health Secretary would be eligible to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership and the job of Prime Minister.
At the age of 21, Mr Gwynne became England’s youngest councillor when elected to Tameside Council in May 1996, representing the Denton West ward. He was then re-elected in 2000 and 2004.
He has been an MP – first for the Denton and Reddish constituency, now for Gorton and Denton – since 2005 and served in the shadow cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn as Shadow Minister without Portfolio from 2016 to 2017.
Mr Gwynne held other shadow roles before becoming a public health minister in the current Labour government.
But the 51-year-old was then suspended from the party in February last year for his role in the shocking ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp group that came to light.
Among the messages – believed to have been posted between 2019 and 2022 – he allegedly made antisemitic remarks, ‘joked’ about a constituent being “mown down” by a bin lorry, and said he hoped a 72-year-old woman would soon die after she asked a councillor about bin collections.
After it was made public, Mr Gwynne apologised and, following his suspension along with Burnley MP Oliver Ryan (a former Tameside councillor) and 11 councillors, sat as an independent MP while under investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
But before the final outcome of the investigation has been made known, Mr Gwynne announced his resignation on social media on Thursday afternoon (January 22) – hours after it was reported in national newspapers that he would step down.
He said he decided to stand down after receiving medical advice and apologised again for the Trigger Me Timbers scandal, while reflecting on his achievements in office.
His statement read: “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.
“Over those years, I haven’t got everything right and I’ve certainly made mistakes but I’ve always tried my very best and I have helped tens of thousands of constituents with their issues along the way. Indeed it’s been helping people that’s given me the greatest pleasure in these jobs.
“I will forever be proud to have campaigned successfully to save our open spaces at Kingswater, Reddish Vale, Haughton Dale and at Bredbury Parkway at those times when they’ve been under threat.
“I’m proud to have helped to secure the Wellness Centre for Denton, a new NHS Community Diagnostics Centre at Crown Point, the rebuild of Russell Scott Primary School, £17m for Denton town centre, £20m for Gorton south, and the realistic prospect of tram-train services serving Denton station.
“And my successful Private Members’ Bill, the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010 has prevented financial ‘vulture funds’ from praying on the historic debts of some of the world’s poorest indebted countries, ensuring that money can be spent on education, health and infrastructure.
“These are hopefully lasting achievements that didn’t happen by accident. I have always sought to be a real champion for the areas I’ve represented. I’ve fought and won nine elections (three local, six general) and I thank those of you who supported me in each of those elections.
“But I have also suffered significant ill-health over most of the 21 years I’ve served as MP, and this has been greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages.
“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 through 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.
“I will conclude with professional health advice from my GP to the Commons authorities which I want to share so hopefully it provides a degree of context because this is health advice I cannot afford to ignore:
“Despite the treatment and support he has received since February, I worry that there is still a marked disassociation between the reality of his difficulties and the ‘front’ that he shows to the world. He remains on very high dose medication.
“Based on my knowledge of him over the past 10 years, and 30 years as a GP with an interest in mental health, I do not think it likely that he will be able to return to his previous ‘normal’. From the pattern of his illness since 2014 and the records we have since 2010, 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.
“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.
“I wish all my friends in the Gorton and Denton Constituency Labour Party, the PLP and right across the House well; and I wish the Labour government every success in meeting our country’s challenges head-on and providing the real change the people of Britain voted for in 2024.
“I won’t be making any further statements. All I ask now is that I am now left in peace to be able to start the long process of getting well again, and to spend precious time with my family. And from me: Thank you once again. The end.”
Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds – who, along with Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner, expressed ‘disgust’ at the time over the WhatsApp controversy that caused national anger – responded to the announcement by acknowledging his former colleague’s contribution to the local area.
“I know how strongly people feel about the circumstances that led to Andrew’s suspension from the Labour Party, but I would also like to recognise his years of service to Tameside and Manchester, and to Stockport before that,” Mr Reynolds wrote on social media.
“His passion for this area and commitment to it were always on display in Parliament.”