Here’s Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s announcement about his intention to run in Makerfield, in full:

I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of
the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election.

I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I
care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national
politics. Ten years ago, I decided to leave Westminster.

Why? Because, after 16
years, I came to the conclusion that our national political system does not
work for areas like ours. I learnt this fighting its failure to invest in the
Wigan borough, for justice for the Hillsborough families and against its
treatment of Greater Manchester during the pandemic.

Over the last decade, I
have been challenging this failure from the outside and building a new and
better way of doing politics. We have built Greater Manchester into the
fastest-growing city-region in the UK and put buses back under public control,
introducing a £2 fare cap to help people with cost-of-living pressures.

However, there is only so much that can be done from Greater Manchester. Much
bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more
affordable again.

This is why I now seek people’s support to return to
Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the
whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people. Millions are
struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed.

It has already made
changes to make life better for them in its first two years. After this week,
we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the
Prime Minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the
by-election takes place.

I want to recognise the difficult decision taken by
Josh Simons and the sacrifice he and his family are making. I have worked
closely with him as Mayor on issues like flooding and illegal waste dumping and
have seen first-hand how effective he has been.

He has put the communities of
Makerfield first, made a real difference for them and should take great pride
in that. Finally, I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work
hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom
have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times.

We will change
Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again.