Andy Burnham wins Makerfield byelection, paving way for Starmer leadership challenge

Greater Manchester mayor says result represents Labour’s ‘final chance to change’, after soundly beating Reform UK and hardline Restore Britain

Andy Burnham has won the crucial Makerfield byelection by a huge majority, paving the way for a challenge to Keir Starmer’s premiership.

The Greater Manchester mayor beat the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon, by 9,231 votes, and the new hardline Restore Britain party coming a distant third..

Labour won 54% of the vote to Reform UK’s 35%, while Restore Britain secured 7%. Turnout was 58.75% – six points up on the general election, with 45,510 votes cast.

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 to change,” 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.

“We must now take this up and put this country back on the right path and bring people back together and get things working properly.”

After the most consequential byelection in modern British history, Burnham is widely expected to mount a bid for No 10 if a formal leadership contest is triggered in the coming days.

The fact that Burnham secured 6,100 more votes than both Reform and Restore combined will hugely burnish his credentials for No 10 among Labour MPs and members.

However, his allies believe Starmer should be given time to set out a timetable for his departure, the Guardian revealed on Thursday, with some in his team having talked ministers out of resigning as soon as this weekend to stop the government falling into chaos.

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.

Speaking before hundreds of members of the media and 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.

Burnham added: “That changes tonight. 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.”

His win means Labour faces another gruelling contest against Reform UK, this time to retain the Greater Manchester mayoralty. The byelection 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 US ambassador, followed by elections in which Labour lost more than 1,200 local councillors and control of the Welsh Senedd in May.

Hours before voting opened, Burnham said the outcome of the byelection would change British politics for years to come.

Burnham said his offer would “make life more affordable to people again, to give the British people a bit more money in their pockets, to give people a bit more breathing space in their daily lives”. He said the result would be a “vote to power up the north of England”.

Starmer has said he will not walk away from his post and that he intends to fight any challenge.

The prime minister is also facing a looming threat from his former health secretary Wes Streeting, who has indicated he is prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest as early as next week.