Andy Burnham will reward the MP who stood aside so he could run for Parliament by giving a senior job in No 10 if he becomes prime minister, Labour Party sources told The i Paper.
Former MP Josh Simons revealed last Thursday that he would quit his seat, Makerfield, to allow the Greater Manchester Mayor to stand and return to the Commons. In his resignation letter, Simons said he was putting his constituents first, as he believed a “shock to the Westminster system” was needed.
However, since then, the MP has been dogged by questions over whether he struck a deal with Burnham.
On Monday, party sources said if Burnham were successful in his bid for Parliament, and then also unseated Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, Simons would be given the position of head of policy, and a role as a floating political secretary in No 10. The latter post acts as a link between the prime minister, their MPs and grassroots.
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