Andy Burnham wins key UK by-election, setting up Labour leadership battle with Starmer

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.

Many Labour MPs regard Burnham as the party's best chance of bouncing back and fighting off growing support for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.

In his victory speech, Burnham warned Labour that it had a "final chance to change".

"There will be no second chance," he said. "But it is a chance now from this result tonight to build a new politics based on unity and hope, turning away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States".

"We must now take this path and put this country back on the right path and bring people back together and get things working properly again," he added.

Starmer congratulated Burnham on his win in a post on social media, writing: "Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate".

The prime minister has faced repeated calls to resign since the May local elections, and his position will likely come under renewed pressure following the Makerfield result.

Former health secretary Wes Streeting has already signalled that he will stand in any leadership race to replace Starmer.