On the brink of the Makerfield by-election, it is worth considering Josh Simons’ impact as Member of Parliament for the constituency. Parachuted in by the Labour leadership, and with no connections to the constituency, Simons was elected in the 2024 ‘loveless landslide’ for Labour, achieving a respectable 45% of the vote, well above Labour’s 34% national vote share. Hailing from the anti-Corbyn wing of the Labour Party, he advocated sensible fiscal policies alongside a hard line on illegal immigration.
Simons understood from day one that his seat was under threat from Reform UK. Their strong second place in 2024 (32%) meant that the new Makerfield MP had to build support in the constituency to stand any chance of re-election in 2029. And in all fairness, he proved himself an excellent representative for the constituency, particularly on the issues of transport infrastructure and flooding. Yet Simons’ resourcefulness as an MP seemingly had little impact on the political winds. Labour was crushed in every single ward that Simons represented during the 2026 English council elections, and that, and that alone, explains why he chose to step down to allow Andy Burnham his shot at the Labour leadership. Why continue to fight an unwinnable fight?
His voting record in Parliament was predictably loyal to the Labour leadership. After all, promotion to the ministerial ranks is not an option for those who rebel. He voted to scrap the Rwanda immigration scheme, to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance, to raise taxes on home purchases (Stamp Duty), and for Rachel Reeves’ £26 billion in tax rises to pay for more welfare. In January 2026, his reward for following the whips’ orders was promotion to the government in a junior role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Government, tasked with selling Starmer’s proposal for Digital ID.
Two months later, in March 2026, he was gone, forced to resign after it was reported that Simons had been responsible for investigating the private affairs of journalists. Two months after that, he announced his resignation from Parliament, paving the way for Andy Burnham to contest the Makerfield seat.
So how will he be remembered? First, he was ineffectual in terms of influencing policy. Although slightly unfair given the mechanics of how party politics works in the House of Commons, his preference for responsible budgets never materialised. Starmer’s government, egged on by mutinous left-wing MPs, went on a welfare spending spree that reduced Rachel Reeves to tears. And on immigration, the small boats continued to arrive. Second, as a campaigning constituency MP. In many ways, there is a contradiction here. Simons was liked and respected for his advocacy for the Makerfield constituency. Indeed, he is a template for what a committed local campaigning MP should look like. But at the same time, he abandoned his post just two short years after gaining a mandate from the people, perhaps disheartened that his effectiveness at the local level would be insufficient to prevent a Reform UK victory in Makerfield in 2029. In that sense, his legacy is mixed. Finally, and most unfortunately, his Wikipedia article will focus on the allegations that he attempted to falsely link journalists to Putin’s Russia in the hope that the intelligence services would investigate their activities. In that respect, he played his own small part in further undermining trust in British politics.