Aysu Bicer
19 June 2026•Update: 19 June 2026
- Prime Minister Starmer insists he will fight any leadership contest and ‘will not walk away’
Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election on Friday could mark a "turning point" for Labour and pose an immediate challenge to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership.
The former Greater Manchester mayor won 55% of the vote in Thursday's contest, finishing more than 9,200 votes ahead of far right Reform UK's Robert Kenyon.
While Reform finished a distant second, the result represented the party's third-highest vote tally ever in a Westminster constituency.
Addressing supporters after the result, Burnham delivered an impassioned speech in which he argued the country was failing to meet expectations and said the election "could be the turning point".
He insisted Makerfield would be central to his political mission, declaring the constituency was "never a stepping stone."
Instead, he pledged that a "Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will ensure the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness."
'Final chance' for Labour
Burnham also issued a stark warning to his own party, describing the current moment as a "final chance" for Labour. He said it was a "final chance to change" and warned that "there will be no second chance."
Reflecting on his return to Westminster, Burnham said he had long intended to seek a comeback to national politics.
The former Cabinet minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown said he always knew he would return to Parliament to "complete that unfinished business" so the north of England could fulfil its "potential."
Burnham's victory completes the first stage of what has widely been seen as a two-step political strategy. Having secured election to the House of Commons, he has stated that he will now seek to use his position as a Labour MP to challenge Starmer for the party leadership.
Should he succeed in any future contest, Burnham would become prime minister.
Pressure on Starmer intensified further on Friday, with Sky News reporting that 96 Labour MPs have now publicly called for him to stand down.
'I'm not going to walk away,' says Starmer
Most of those interventions came during last month's leadership crisis following Labour's poor performance in local and devolved elections.
Three MPs added to the pressure following Burnham's victory.
The former transport secretary Louise Haigh said Starmer should "set out the steps for an orderly transition", having previously offered him conditional support if he delivered "change." Haigh is regarded as a close ally of Burnham.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley told the BBC that Labour would "need a transition to something new", while Brent East MP Dawn Butler also called for Starmer to begin an orderly transition during an appearance on Sky News.
Despite the mounting criticism, the prime minister insisted he would contest any leadership challenge.
"There isn't a leadership contest at the moment," Starmer said. "If there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then yes, I will run, I will stand, and I've said repeatedly, I'm not going to walk away from that."
Starmer said he had won "a mandate two years ago to carry out change" and pointed to efforts to stabilize the economy and reduce NHS waiting lists.
The prime minister also urged Labour to unite ahead of the by-election to choose a new Greater Manchester mayor, a position left vacant by Burnham's return to Westminster.
He said he had not yet "spoken to Andy directly yet", but added that he would do so and had sent "my congratulations."
