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

Labour’s Andy Burnham gives victory speech after winning Makerfield byelection – video Andy Burnham wins huge majority in 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 Restore Britain UK politics – live updates 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 came a distant third. Labour won 54% of the vote to Reform UK’s 35%, while Restore Britain secured 7%. Turnout was 58.75%, six percentage points up on the general election, with 45,510 votes cast. View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham shaking hands with the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon, after the results were announced. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/ReutersIn 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”. 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 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. Starmer congratulated Burnham on his win, saying: “Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate”. The former health secretary appears to have won the support of an anti-Reform coalition of voters from across the spectrum, with the Conservatives, Liberal Dems and Greens winning only 3% of the vote between them. In 2024, the three parties collectively won 22% of the vote in this constituency. 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. Addressing hundreds of 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.” View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham shaking hands with a supporter after his victory.