NewsPoliticsAndy BurnhamAndy Burnham has confirmed he will seek to join a leadership race if he wins the Makerfield by-election on June 18 during a lively BBC Question Time debate in a warning to Keir Starmer21:00, 04 Jun 2026Updated 21:12, 04 Jun 2026Andy Burnham has confirmed he WILL stand against Keir Starmer if he gets into Parliament and a leadership race is triggered.‌Speaking on a BBC Question Time special two weeks ahead of the Makerfield by-election, the Greater Manchester mayor said he would stand against Wes Streeting.‌Mr Burham is seeking to return to Parliament on June 18. He has been widely tipped to challenge Mr Starmer for the top job, but has not explicitly said so until now. Mr Streeting, who stepped down as Health Secretary last month, has said he intends to put himself forward.‌Mr Burnham told the audience on Thursday evening: "I'm not somebody who gets ahead of myself. I can't do anything unless I'm lucky enough to get the support of people here. But if I get your support, I would seek to represent you at the highest possible level and give this constituency maximum power and influence.‌"I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I'd have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same. So that's the only question... I've said to my team, let's have a proper look at this and let's develop a policy."The contest was called after Labour MP Josh Simons announced he would be stepping down. Mr Burnham faces a tough battle to return to Westminster, with Reform UK winning all the available council seats in the constituency at last month's local elections.Reform candidate Robert Kenyon has faced a backlash over previous social media posts - including one agreeing with a vile sexual comment about TV star Carol Vorderman. The presenter has called on Mr Kenyon to apologise, but he has repeatedly refused to do so.Article continues belowOne audience member told him: "I'd rather have a career politician and a plumber who's a sexist." Mr Kenyon said: "I was brought up by a single parents and my grandma, who was a widow and an older sister. So I was brought up by women. I've got nothing but respect for women."He has also made derogatory remarks about female rugby players and referees, abortion and admitted being sexist. In an interview with the BBC he admitted: "There might have been a few crass comments that I've said."Mr Burnham said the Westminster system is not working - sparking his decision to quit in 2017. Asked how to restore faith in politics, he said: "In the end, it took me a long time to realise that the system just simply was not set up to support places like ours, and it treated us as the bottom of the list rather than the top of the list."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌BBCWes StreetingAndy BurnhamQuestion TimePolitics