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Andy Burnham wins key UK by-election, paving way to challenge Keir Starmer

Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and the United Kingdom. Burnham handily defeated

Tories accuse Starmer of not revealing all his Mandelson messages – UK politics live

Labour party leadership](/politics/labourleadership) - [Keir Starmer](/politics/keir-starmer) - [Scottish National party (SNP)](/politics/snp) [Reuse this content

Rich already being taxed properly, says minister, as Streeting calls for ‘wealth tax that works’– UK politics live

Labour party leadership](/politics/labourleadership) - [Keir Starmer](/politics/keir-starmer) - [Conservatives](/politics/conservatives) [Reuse this content](https://syndication.theguardian.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fpolitics%2Flive%2F2026%2Fmay%2F21%2Fkeir-starmer-labour-leadership-rachel-reeves-cost-of-living-echr-single-sex-spaces-latest-news-updates&type=article&internalpagecode=politics/live/2026/may/21/keir-starmer-labour-leadership-rachel-reeves-cost-of-living-echr-single-sex-spaces-latest-news-updates

UK voters head to the polls in local elections

Starmer has faced increasing pressure over his leadership of the Labour Party [File: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Starmer to face Commons grilling at PMQs as Streeting plans resignation speech – UK politics live

Starmer](/politics/keir-starmer) - [PMQs](/politics/pmqs) - [Labour party leadership](/politics/labourleadership) - [Kemi Badenoch](/politics/kemi-badenoch) - [Wes Streeting](/politics/wes-streeting) - [House

Most Labour members think Starmer cannot revive party fortunes, poll finds

Labour’s governing national executive committee (NEC). The poll of more than 1,000 party members shows a sharp rise in the number of members dissatisfied with Starmer’s leadership

Pressure grows on Starmer to step aside for Burnham – UK politics live

Starmer](/politics/keir-starmer) - [Makerfield byelection](/politics/makerfield-byelection) - [Labour party leadership](/politics/labourleadership) [Reuse this content](https://syndication.theguardian.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fpolitics%2Flive%2F2026%2Fjun%2F20%2Fkeir-starmer-andy-burnham-labour-leadership-makerfield-byelection-uk-politics-latest-news&type=article&internalpagecode=politics/live/2026/jun/20/keir-starmer-andy-burnham-labour-leadership-makerfield-byelection-uk-politics-latest-news

Starmer reportedly expected to resign on Monday as growing numbers of MPs back Burnham for PM – UK politics live

Starmer](/politics/keir-starmer) - [Andy Burnham](/politics/andyburnham) - [Makerfield byelection](/politics/makerfield-byelection) - [Labour party leadership](/politics/labourleadership) - [Labour](/politics/labour) [Reuse

UK’s Keir Starmer faces likely challenge following Labour’s election defeat

Starmer is likely to face a leadership challenge amid calls from parliamentarians for him to step down following the Labour Party

Energy bills, business rates and HS2: What are Burnham's potential policies?

Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party - and the country. During the by-election

Pressure on Starmer grows over Mandelson vetting despite ousting of Foreign Office official – UK politics live

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How could Labour remove Keir Starmer? Four possible routes

Starmer for the leadership by Monday morning, she would do it herself. If the [Labour](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labour) party

Starmer could have been told about Mandelson’s vetting failure, claims No 10 with release of briefing paper – UK politics live

Starmer](/politics/keir-starmer) - [Labour](/politics/labour) - [Peter Mandelson](/politics/peter-mandelson) - [Labour party leadership](/politics/labourleadership) - [Kemi Badenoch](/politics/kemi-badenoch) - [Conservatives

Burnham team tell ministers to delay resignations to avoid chaos

Starmer to survive, and the party to avoid a contest, are dismayed that he has not addressed the parliamentary Labour party since the disastrous local elections results that plunged his leadership

Labour MPs have put Starmer on notice after election battering. Can he turn it around?

Labour Party wants there to be a challenge to the leadership, but even Sir Keir Starmer

Poll: Voter cynicism remains a potent threat to incumbents across the globe

Labour’s representative, giving him the chance to challenge Starmer for the party leadership and potentially

Frozen by the challenges of power: how Starmer turned triumph into tragedy

party whip](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/19/politicised-labour-process-let-corbyn-back-in-says-anneliese-dodds). Hundreds of members were suspended or expelled. Under the guidance of McSweeney, who moved from the controversial Labour Together thinktank to the helm of Starmer’s leadership

Starmer to face split cabinet as demands for his resignation mount

leadership contest requires the endorsement of 81 Labour MPs, 20 percent of the party in the Commons. Potential challengers to Starmer

Polls open in historic byelection in Makerfield that could determine Keir Starmer’s future – UK politics live

Starmer stands aside, rather than a leadership contest, which they believe would be damaging to the Labour party

Andy Burnham to face Reform’s Robert Kenyon in crucial Makerfield byelection

Starmer should set out a timetable for a change in leadership of the United Kingdom Labour party