Andy Burnham has given his clearest sign yet that he will challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership by announcing his intention to stand in the upcoming by-election for Makerfield. Josh Simons announced on Thursday that he would quit Parliament to make way for the Manchester mayor to run. Mr Burnham must first get the approval of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which previously blocked him from running in February’s by-election in Gorton and Denton. Senior Labour sources have indicated that members will not stand in his way this time, but one hurdle remains in Mr Burnham’s path to Westminster: winning the by-election against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Long seen as a Labour safe seat, Wigan’s Makerfield has been in the party’s hands since its creation in 1983. However, Mr Simons won the seat by a majority of just 5,399 over Reform UK at the 2024 general election. Since then, Labour ’s polling has collapsed, while Reform’s has surged.…