Andy Burnham secured almost 25,000 votes to win the Makerfield by-election and set up a potential leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.
He beat Reform UK’s candidate by 9,231 votes on a 59% turnout, and said in his acceptance speech that it was a “final chance to change” and this “could be the turning point.”
Sir Keir Starmer wrote on X:
“Congratulations, @AndyBurnhamGM, Labour’s new MP for Makerfield. Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”
The win leaves two leadership questions, the first is whether such a big win paves his way to Number 10, the second is who will be the next Greater Manchester Mayor.
READ MORE – Labour MP stands down to pave way for Andy Burnham comeback
“What Andy’s shown here is that there is something that he brings, a willingness to go out and fight for the change that people need, to take on any system and any person who stands in the way and to be bold and to wear his heart on his sleeve, and people have responded,” said Culture Secretary and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy.
While Burnham insisted in his acceptance speech that Makerfield was “never a stepping stone,” it’s nonetheless expected to trigger a leadership contest to become the next Prime Minister.
Burnham, who as MP for Leigh from 1997, has years of experience in the Cabinet, as Culture Secretary, Health Secretary and Chief Secretary to the Treasury under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
However, to take the next step up, he’ll need to secure backing from 20% of Labour MPs. That would mean a postal ballot for Labour Party and affiliate members, with the winner needing 50% of the vote.
Another leadership contender, Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has said he’d be prepared to launch a challenge next week.
READ MORE – Burnham goes to ground with key event cancellation as Starmer speculation mounts
That’s not the only critical contest for the Labour Party, because now that Burnham is an MP, it means he has to step down as Greater Manchester Mayor. By law you can’t be Police and Crime Commissioner as well as a sitting MP.
An election has to be called within 35 days of the role being made vacant, with 30th July earmarked by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The successful candidate would hold office until the next scheduled mayoral election in May 2028.
In the meantime, the statutory Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester takes over, which is Paul Dennett, the Mayor of Salford City Council.
Andy Burnham first became Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 and had been an MP until the day before the election. He was elected for a third time in May 2024, with a winning total of 63% of the vote – the second-placed candidate got 10%.
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister said that Burnham should not immediately challenge him, which would be a “bad thing” for the country, instead Labour should focus on his successor in Greater Manchester.
Should Andy Burnham become Prime Minister, he would be the first Liverpool-born occupant of Number 10 since William Gladstone in the 19th Century – a statue depicting Gladstone speaking in the House of Commons has been in Manchester’s Albert Square since 1901.
