Published on
19/06/2026 - 9:07 GMT+2
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has won the key Makerfield by-election in the UK, paving the way for him to mount a leadership challenge to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Labour candidate returns to Westminster having won the Makerfield seat comfortably, securing 24,927 votes, around 55% of the vote. Reform UK's Robert Kenyon came second with 15,696, followed by Restore Britain's Rebecca Shepherd with 3,111.
The by-election was triggered after the former Makerfield MP Josh Simons stepped down to allow Burnham to take on Starmer, who has been under increasing pressure since Labour's nightmare local election results in May.
