Andy Burnham’s resignation as Greater Manchester mayor to stand in the Gorton and Denton Parliamentary by-election would create a huge reshuffle in the city’s politics.
Mr Burnham confirmed in a statement on Saturday afternoon that he is seeking approval from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to be in the running for the candidacy.
While Gorton and Denton will get a new MP, albeit potentially a familiar face in the form of Burnham, it would leave the city-region needing a new mayor. A by-election to decide who permanently takes up the mantle of mayor would take place in the coming weeks.
However, the law says Greater Manchester would need someone sooner. In fact, the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, which created Burnham’s position, effectively prohibits a void at the top.
It says: “The deputy mayor must act in place of the mayor if for any reason… the office of mayor is vacant.”
While it seems like a simple process to hand the job to second-in-command, it’s a little more complicated in Greater Manchester as Burnham had two deputy mayors.
Kate Green is listed as ‘Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester’. She was appointed by Burnham to oversee the emergency services and criminal justice system as the same law requires.
Paul Dennett is listed as Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Deputy Mayor. He was elected by Salford residents to be the City Mayor of Salford, effectively leading its council.
The same law required Burnham to ‘appoint one of the members of the [combined] authority to be the mayor’s deputy’.
Dennett would be the interim mayor because he was elected to his council position, rather than Green, who was appointed straight to the GMCA. In some instances, Dennett has chaired full ‘Greater Manchester Combined Authority’ meetings instead of Green when Burnham has been unable to, for example when the ex-Leigh MP was ill last summer.
If Dennett is unable to serve as interim mayor, the combined authority would act on behalf of the mayor, making decisions with a simple majority.
The combined authority panel is made up of Dennett and Greater Manchester’s nine council leaders. All but one are Labour politicians, so policies backed by Burnham would be likely to receive its support.
Should he make it to the top on an interim basis, it would be the crowning achievement of Dennett’s 14-year political career. Born in Warrington, he represented the Langworthy ward for Labour on Salford council until he was first elected City Mayor in 2016, being re-elected in 2021 and 2024.
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