The Greens are going to campaign for the upcoming Makerfield byelection, complicating Andy Burnham’s potential route back to parliament against what is expected to be a strong Reform UK challenge. A statement from the Greens said candidate selection was in process and that the party had learned from its win in another Greater Manchester seat in February, when they overcame a 13,000 Labour majority in Gorton and Denton . Labour has a smaller majority of just over 5,000 in Makerfield, where Reform came second in the 2024 election. The sitting MP, Josh Simons, announced on Thursday that he would stand down , saying he wanted Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, to replace him. Burnham has said he will seek the Labour nomination, and while the decision is for the party’s national executive committee (NEC), which blocked him from fighting Gorton and Denton, Downing Street has indicated it will allow him to contest Makerfield.…