Burnham wins UK by-election, faces big challenge for Starmer to remain PM

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has won a big victory in the crucial Makerfield seat in the north of the UK. The victory has paved the way for him to challenge Keir Starmer for the leadership of the ruling Labour Party and the post of Prime Minister. This information was revealed by Al Jazeera's report.

Results released on Friday (June 19) showed that Burnham received 24,927 votes in the Makerfield seat. He defeated the anti-immigration party Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon by a margin of more than 9,000 votes.

Rebecca Shepherd of Restore Britain came third in the election. In addition, the Conservative Party's Michael Winstanley, the Green Party's Sarah Wakefield and the Liberal Democrats' Jake Austin competed.

In his victory speech, Burnham said, "Everyone knows that current politics is not working properly. Everyone feels the country is not where it should be. Tonight could be the start of change. I will do my best to bring about the change that our country needs.

Burnham's victory is likely to hasten Starmer's resignation or set off a leadership battle, with outgoing mayor and former health minister Wes Streeting as the prime minister's challenger. In the UK political system, MPs can choose a new prime minister without a general election, making Burnham a likely successor if a formal leadership challenge to Starmer comes up.

A recent poll found that 25 percent of Britons supported Burnham as a potential prime minister, compared to 12 percent for Starmer. If he succeeds Starmer, Burnham would become the UK's seventh prime minister.

Despite leading the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the 2024 election, there is growing discontent with Starmer's leadership. Calls for his resignation have also intensified after the party's disastrous local and regional elections in May. In less than two years, 20 ministers have resigned from his government.

But Starmer has rejected calls for his resignation, saying he would face any leadership challenge and that such a contest would not be good for the country.

Burnham, known as the “King of the North”, has long been a critic of London-centric politics. He was first elected mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021 and 2024. He campaigned on a promise to change the Labour Party, politics and the country.

About 75,000 people were eligible to vote in the constituency, about 320 kilometres (200 miles) northwest of London. Turnout was 58.75 per cent, up from 52.4 per cent in the 2024 general election.