Andy Burnham won the Makerfield byelection with over half the votes, setting the stage for a potential leadership challenge against Keir Starmer. His victory speech emphasized a demand for change and more power for the north.
Key points
Andy Burnham won the Makerfield byelection with over half the votes
His majority was almost double that of predecessor Josh Simons
Burnham's win raises the possibility of challenging Keir Starmer's leadership
He called for change and more power for the north in his victory speech
Burnham described the result as Labour's final chance for a new politics
Mentioned in this story
Andy BurnhamKeir StarmerGreater Manchester
Makerfield byelection
Andy Burnham has set up a potential showdown with Keir Starmer after convincingly winning the Makerfield byelection, paving the way for his return to Westminster and a likely tilt at the Labour leadership.
The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester promised “change” after winning the byelection in the early hours of Friday morning with over half the votes cast and a majority almost double the size of his predecessor, Josh Simons.
The scale of the win has prompted talk among Burnham’s allies that he could replace Starmer as prime minister within weeks, if not days. Much will depend on whether the prime minister decides to fight to retain his position.
In his victory speech, Burnham said the result “could be a turning point” and that people had “voted for change, they have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster”.
He said this was Labour’s “final chance”, adding: “There will be no second chance, but it is a chance now from this result tonight to build a new politics based on unity and hope, turning away from the path that takes us to a divided politics of the kind we see in the United States.”
Senior Labour figures are now urging the prime minister to agree a process either for a handover of power or an expedited leadership contest.
Harriet Harman, the party’s former deputy leader, who was appointed by Starmer as his adviser on women and girls just a few weeks ago, said she wanted Starmer, Burnham and any other putative leadership contender to agree to put their parliamentary support to the test but without involving the wider Labour membership.
“What should happen is that the three contenders – which is obviously Keir Starmer, who’s the prime minister, Andy Burnham, who’s the challenger, and Wes Streeting, who’s also a challenger – should be got in a room by the deputy leader of the Labour party, Lucy Powell, and the chair of the parliamentary Labour party, Jess Morden, to agree a process whereby Labour MPs choose who they want,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Q&A
What was the outcome of the Makerfield byelection?
Andy Burnham won the Makerfield byelection with a majority almost double that of his predecessor.
How could Andy Burnham's victory impact Keir Starmer's leadership?
Burnham's win has sparked discussions about him potentially replacing Starmer as Labour leader in the near future.
What did Andy Burnham promise in his victory speech?
Burnham promised change and emphasized the need for more power for the north and a new politics based on unity and hope.
What are the implications of Burnham's win for Labour's future?
Burnham's victory is seen as a pivotal moment for Labour, presenting a final chance to build a united political front.
See every story in News — including breaking news and analysis.
Andy Burnham shaking hands with Robert Kenyon as other candidates watch on
Andy Burnham shaking hands with the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon, after the results were announced. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
Patrick Hurley, a Labour MP who has until now remained loyal to the prime minister, urged him to step down. “The will of the parliamentary Labour party is obvious and I think that really we need to now see the prime minister set out a transition process,” he said on Friday morning.
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said on Thursday night: “Hopefully [Burnham] will take a few days off – although knowing Andy, probably not – and then he’s going to go and fight for the change that Makerfield deserves.
“I’m sure there’ll be a conversation with the prime minister, but that’s not for tonight.”
Burnham achieved his victory with a majority of 9,231 votes over the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon – bigger than that enjoyed by his predecessor. Labour won 54% of the vote to Reform’s 35%, while the hard-right party Restore Britain secured 7%. Turnout was 59%, six percentage points up on the general election, with 45,510 votes cast.
Burnham won more votes than Reform and Restore combined, showing that Nigel Farage’s party would not have won even if they had united the hard-right vote.
Farage said he was “disappointed” by the result, while his deputy leader, Richard Tice, claimed on Friday: “We heard from a number of people in the constituency who said that in order to ensure that we get Starmer out, I’m going to vote Burnham, even though I’m Reform-minded.”
Starmer congratulated Burnham on his win, saying: “Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate”, while Streeting posted that the result “gives us all hope that Labour can still win, but Andy’s campaign is proof that to do so we need to change”.
The “King of the North”, who was first elected to parliament almost exactly 25 years ago and served in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, will return to Westminster nine years after he left.
Addressing hundreds of supporters, who cheered him into the Life convention centre in Wigan, Burnham said Makerfield would “never be a stepping stone to me – but instead will be my touchstone: a Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will ensure the places that Westminster has neglected will now get fairness.”
Voters had told him they felt “neglected” and that “the country works for other people and other places but not for here”, he said.
Andy Burnham reaching down from a stage to shake hands with Jo Platt in a crowd of people
Andy Burnham shaking hands with Jo Platt, a Labour MP in Greater Manchester, after his victory. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
“That changes tonight,” he said. “This result changes that. This result will bring about a country that works fairly for everyone. People here have voted for change, they have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster. Now let’s give that back to them.”
Burnham’s win means Labour faces another gruelling contest against Reform UK, this time to retain the Greater Manchester mayoralty. The poll of 2 million voters will be one of the biggest in British political history, and is expected to be held on 30 July.
The Makerfield byelection was triggered when Josh Simons, the then Labour MP, agreed to stand down last month to allow Burnham to contest the seat and mount a challenge to Starmer’s ailing leadership.
The prime minister has faced calls for his resignation over the disastrous appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK ambassador to the US, followed by elections in which Labour lost more than 1,200 local councillors and control of the Welsh Senedd in May.
