Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election; puts him in strong position to replace Keir Starmer as PM

Andy Burnham has won an emphatic victory in the Makerfield by-election, receiving 55% of the vote to Reform’s 35%.

This puts him in a strong position to challenge Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

The by-election has been followed closely, having the potential power to transform British politics.

The UK has never - certainly not in decades - seen a by-election of such importance.

Makerfield, a collection of mostly old mining towns and villages sandwiched between Liverpool and Manchester, represents just 0.1% of UK voters.

The constituency found itself at the epicentre of British politics after its Labour MP resigned to give Andy Burnham a shot at returning to Westminster to challenge Keir Starmer for the party’s leadership.

But, Andy Burnham was an unusually strong candidate. He’s local and popular as mayor, a position he’s held since 2017. This has dampened criticism that he’s using the constituency as a stepping stone. His campaign has been slick and upbeat, underpinned by a promise to “change Labour”.

In contrast Reform had struggled to find a good candidate. Robert Kenyon’s ratings were low, with voters seeing him as inexperienced.

Makerfield is the type of constituency Nigel Farage needed to win to form the next government. The ‘red wall’ seat backed Leave in 2016 and overwhelmingly opted for Reform during last month’s local elections.

Keir Starmer has today said he will stand in a Labour Leadership contest should one be triggered.