Andy Burnham has won a key by-election in England, strengthening expectations that he will mount a challenge for the leadership of the UK Labour Party and potentially the premiership.
The veteran Labour politician secured the Makerfield seat in northwest England on Friday, comfortably defeating the Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon. He won nearly 55% of the vote and led by more than 9,000 ballots in a constituency where turnout reached 59%, with over 45,000 votes cast.
Burnham, 56, a former government minister and Labour MP from 2001 to 2017, has served as Greater Manchester mayor since 2017. His return to Parliament follows the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, who stepped down to allow him to contest the seat, a move that placed the constituency of around 77,000 voters at the centre of national political attention.
In his victory speech, Burnham told supporters it was a moment of urgency for his party. “I do say to my own party, this is a final chance to change,” he said. He added: “We must hear it, we must act upon it, and we must get it right. There will be no second chance. But it is a chance now, from this result tonight.”
A long-standing figure on Labour’s soft left and known as the “King of the North” after three terms as mayor, Burnham has been widely viewed as the party’s most popular politician. Surveys suggest he would defeat Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a direct leadership contest among party members.
Prime Minister Starmer, who has been in office since July 2024, has faced growing pressure following poor polling results across England, Scotland and Wales last month, alongside policy reversals and controversy linked to the appointment of former Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington.
Dozens of Labour MPs have called for Starmer to resign, while several ministers have stepped down. Despite this, Starmer has insisted he will remain in post, arguing that his 2024 general election landslide gives him a full five-year mandate. He has warned that if he were to leave office this year, Britain could face its seventh prime minister in a decade.
The Prime Minister has said he is willing to offer Burnham a “big role” in government in an effort to ease tensions, but Burnham’s allies have reportedly dismissed the idea.
Burnham will be sworn in as an MP on Monday. Under Labour rules, leadership candidates must hold a seat in Parliament. He will then be able to seek the backing of at least 81 Labour MPs, the threshold required to trigger a leadership contest.
While Starmer has said he would fight any challenge, speculation is growing over whether pressure within the party could force a resignation. Ex-health secretary Wes Streeting has urged colleagues to give the Prime Minister “space over the weekend” to consider his position, and has said he would enter any leadership race, though a potential deal with Burnham has not been ruled out.
