Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield byelection by a huge majority, paving the way for a challenge to Keir Starmer’s premiership.
The result
Burnham beat the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon, by 9,231 votes, with 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.
Burnham secured 6,100 more votes than both Reform and Restore combined, a margin that will hugely burnish his credentials for No 10 among Labour MPs and members. The Conservatives, Lib Dems and Greens won only 3% of the vote between them – compared with 22% collectively in 2024 – suggesting voters tactically backed Burnham as the strongest candidate capable of keeping Reform out.
What Burnham said
Speaking before hundreds of supporters and members of the media who cheered him into the Life convention centre in Wigan, 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.”
Burnham added that 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. “That changes tonight.”
What comes next for Labour
After what many are calling the most consequential byelection in modern British history, Burnham is widely expected to mount a bid for No 10 if a formal Labour leadership contest is triggered in the coming days. He has already crossed the threshold of Labour MP nominations required to formally do so, according to three sources close to the matter.
However, his allies believe Starmer should be given time to set out a timetable for his departure, with some in his team having talked ministers out of resigning as soon as this weekend to stop the government falling into chaos. “A contest isn’t in anyone’s interest and we’re hoping Keir will come to his senses,” one insider said. Burnham has no plans to trigger a contest on Friday or over the weekend, but is ready with a list of supporters he can present to Starmer should one become necessary.
The pressure on Starmer has been building for weeks. 77 Labour MPs had already called for him to quit, and a poll showed Labour would overtake Reform by eight points under Burnham’s leadership.
Burnham’s return to Westminster
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, returns to Westminster nine years after he left. The byelection was triggered when Josh Simons agreed to stand down last month to allow Burnham to contest the seat and mount a challenge to Starmer’s ailing leadership.
His win means Labour now faces another gruelling contest against Reform UK – this time to retain the Greater Manchester mayoralty. The byelection, covering around two million voters, is expected to be held on 30 July and will be one of the biggest in British political history.
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