Burnhams’s Makerfield landslide puts Starmer on notice

The political landscape of the UK was fundamentally reshaped in the early hours of this morning, following a seismic by-election result in Makerfield.

Andy Burnham, the popular outgoing Mayor of Greater Manchester, has secured a thundering return to Westminster, claiming the seat with a landslide victory that many observers believe marks the end of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Mr Burnham secured a commanding 55 per cent of the vote, effectively crushing his nearest rival, Robert Kenyon of Reform UK, by a significant margin of 9,231 votes.

The result represents a surge in Labour’s local popularity, with the party increasing its vote share by nearly 10 percentage points compared to the previous general election.

For a deeply unpopular Prime Minister already navigating turbulent domestic waters and rocked by scandals, the re-emergence of the man frequently dubbed the “King of the North” on the green benches of the House of Commons presents a “grave and imminent” threat, according to Henry Zeffman, the BBC’s chief political correspondent.

The atmosphere at the count was one of high drama as the scale of the victory became apparent. Addressing a room filled with jubilant supporters, Mr Burnham did little to dampen speculation regarding his future ambitions for the party’s top job. “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could be the turning point. From here on I will give everything I’ve got to make it so. Bringing back something we’ve lost, hope, hope for the future,” he declared.

This sentiment was echoed by Wes Streeting, who noted that “Andy Burnham’s astonishing victory… gives us all hope that Labour can still win, but Andy’s campaign is proof that to do so we need to change.”

Having been returned Parliament as the new MP for Makerfield, Mr Burnham is no longer the Mayor of Greater Manchester, triggering a by-election.

The Communities Secretary, Steve Reed, confirmed the by-election for Mayor expected in late July. The Starmer loyalist also tried to downplay Burnham’s return, telling the BBC’s Today Programme that there was no contest for Party leader, so he was going to speculate.

However, the focus remains firmly on Westminster, where the mechanics of a potential leadership challenge are already being discussed in the tea rooms and corridors of power. To mount a formal challenge against Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Burnham would require the backing of 81 Labour MPs, representing 20 per cent of the parliamentary party, which many MPs believe he already has.

The pressure on the Prime Minister is not merely coming from the newly emboldened “Burnhamites” but also from the party’s traditional power bases and external observers. Sharon Graham, the Unite general secretary, issued a blistering assessment of the current leadership, saying: “There is absolutely no doubt that over the last two years workers and the working class have fallen out of love with Labour. The win for Andy Burnham in Makerfield is a glimmer of hope but it must not be taken as a business as usual mandate.

“It is clear that there now needs to be an orderly timetable for a leadership election and Keir Starmer must do the right thing and step down. The inevitable leadership election must be fought on real change and policies. Not personalities or better speeches.

“This result does paper over the cracks that workers feel abandoned by Labour and they will continue to abandon Labour in droves if there is not a significant change in economic and political direction. Rearranging the deckchairs and incremental reforms just won’t cut it.

“Britain now needs a vision. Workers and communities need hope. We must invest in Britain and jobs, stop everyday people paying for crisis after crisis not of their making. Straightforward policies such as capping energy prices immediately, releasing the crippling freeze on tax bands, introduce a wealth tax to fund our public services and a comprehensive industrial plan backed by real money, would be a good start.”

While Makerfield dominates the headlines, other election results across the country paint a different picture. In a historic blow to the SNP, the Scottish Conservatives won Aberdeen South. Their first by-election win in Scotland for nearly 60 years. The result that will likely prompt deep soul-searching within the nationalist movement in Holyrood as the Conservativew turned the vote into a referendum on nationalist’s policy towards the North Sea Oil industry. However, the SNP managed to retain their hold on Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, providing some small comfort in an otherwise difficult night for the party.