In the end, it was not even close. Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election by a landslide, putting him firmly on course to be Britain’s next Prime Minister. The Mayor of Greater Manchester managed to comfortably beat even the most optimistic of polls by winning an impressive 24,937 votes (54.8 per cent), more than

The Greater Manchester mayor has spent the past four weeks campaigning as Labour's candidate in the seat as he seeks a return to the House of Commons.

The result of the Makerfield by-election is expected in the coming hours