Manchester Mayor Burnham wins by-election in major test for Labour government

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham on Friday secured victory in a by-election held in Makerfield, a constituency in northwest England near Wigan, as he sought to return to Westminster.

Burnham won the Makerfield seat for the Labour Party with 24,927 votes, according to the BBC. Robert Kenyon, the candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, finished second with nearly 16,000 votes.

The Makerfield by-election followed the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, who stepped down to clear the way for Burnham to seek a return to Westminster.

The vote was widely viewed as a key political test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, as Burnham said he wanted to “vote to change politics” and presented his return to Westminster bid as part of a broader effort to reshape the country’s political landscape, including a possible future leadership role.

Speaking after the results were revealed, Burnham argued that “everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be.”

"Tonight could, just could, be the turning point," Burnham noted.

Addressing his own party, he warned that this was the final chance for change.