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Another crunch moment for Starmer as he pleads with Labour MPs not to topple him

Andy Burnham to be Labour's next leader and so don't want a contest right now – because he needs time to firstly find and then win a Westminster seat, having been blocked from standing

Keir Starmer says he wants to offer Burnham ‘big role’ in government to avoid leadership contest – UK politics live

party and for the country. This offer is almost certainly too late. Burnham does want “a big role in government”, but it is the one that Starmer is doing himself. Here is the agenda

Mason: Starmer remains defiant as leadership challenge inches closer

Andy Burnham wins the by-election". This was a reference to the fact that the mayor of Greater Manchester cannot be a sitting MP, meaning a Burnham victory would create a vacancy

Musk retweet signals rightwing split that could help Burnham in Makerfield byelection

Andy Burnham is unlikely to be Elon Musk’s first pick to be prime minister of the UK. But an intervention by the US tech billionaire on behalf of a far-right offshoot of Reform

Analysis: Has Starmer done enough to save his premiership?

Andy Burnham, as she is now advocating that the prime minister sets out a timetable for his departure, rather than leaving immediately. Burnham needs time to get back to Westminster first. Those who have been

Labour risks handing power to Reform without drastic change, says union leader

Party offered people an opportunity to give Labour a warning that it needed to change. And I feel really sad that that warning is being delivered now by Reform." She said Labour had made mistakes

Labour figures who wrote competing ‘manifestos’ join forces to warn against tribalism

Andy Burnham](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/andyburnham) and a centrist grouping, are to join forces to help forge new ideas for a future government. The authors of the two essays – which have previously been described as competing

Starmer given a lifeline after Streeting challenge fails to materialise

Andy Burnham, needs a parliamentary seat to challenge Keir Starmer. Photograph: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images However, the prime minister’s fragile authority has been further weakened by the resignation of four ministers – three of them close

Are the Downing Street dominoes about to fall?

party like education or welfare". But one former minister said: "I'm afraid Keir's stuffed now" – another called Healey's exit "the last nail". The prime minister himself seems as resolved as ever

Final push for votes in high stakes Makerfield by-election

Andy Burnham is expected to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership if he becomes an MP again following Thursday's poll. His closest rival for the seat, Reform UK's Robert

Minister dismisses ‘two-tier justice’ claim in light of Henry Nowak tragedy as ‘slur’ on police – UK politics live

Andy Burnham**, the Labour candidate for Makerfield and potential next PM, takes part in [a BBC byelection Question Times special.](https://x.com/bbcquestiontime/status/2061882684310163830) Yesterday Burnham said that at some point today he would give

‘Hold the line’: Burnham tells allies in parliament he still has options to return

Andy about doing so. One Burnham ally said: “We thought the local election results would concentrate some peoples’ minds [but] until you’ve got something lined up, you haven’t. “There’s been a couple

Henry Zeffman: What does Keir Starmer do next after Andy Burnham's Makerfield win?

Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election in the early hours of this morning. To be clear, it's Sir Keir Starmer they're talking about: the man who not even two years ago brought

Most Makerfield voters say offensive posts would put them off candidate, poll finds

Andy Burnham, is fighting to retain the seat for Labour after the sitting MP Josh Simons [stepped aside for him](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/14/who-is-josh-simons-labour-mp-andy-burnham). The polling also found that nearly three-quarters of residents surveyed wanted

British leader Keir Starmer under pressure after heavy election losses

party system of Labour and the Conservatives has been smashed, with Reform taking the most votes, and the Greens, Conservatives, Labour and the centrist Liberal Democrats bunched up behind. While Starmer does not have

PM defends record as Badenoch says he squandered election win

party's [attempt to launch an inquiry into whether the PM misled MPs over the appointment of Lord Mandelson](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze25j9p1k7o). On Tuesday evening, the House of Commons voted not to refer the prime

‘I’m not a Labour fan but I like Burnham’: relief in Makerfield among left, right and centre

Andy Burnham secured a landslide](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/19/andy-burnham-wins-makerfield-byelection-paving-way-labour-leadership-challenge) byelection victory in Makerfield, returning him to Westminster after nine years as Manchester mayor, it is hard to avoid the large, red placards bearing his face

Could Starmer bring back Rayner to steady ship – and would she get onboard?

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, returns to parliament. Speaking [to Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-29/burnham-urges-new-direction-after-may-vote-labour-s-set-to-lose) at a conference in Spain, Burnham said the aftermath of next week’s elections would have to be “a moment

Lucy Powell says Labour has ‘no magic bullet’ as MPs brace for heavy losses in local elections

Andy Burnham, [who is reportedly preparing a leadership run](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/01/andy-burnham-westminster-return-plan-within-weeks), said she knew the stakes were very high for the country. “If we get that wrong, then Nigel Farage is walking into Downing

Angela Rayner cleared by HMRC over tax affairs paving the way for potential leadership bid

Labour to find a candidate to oppose him, with Ed Miliband and Rayner both possible contenders, while Andy Burnham is unable to run from outside parliament. Rayner suggested she could enter any leadership contest, should