Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election by a landslide, securing 55% of the vote and a majority of 9,231 over Reform UK – a result he called Labour's 'final chance to change' and which immediately reignited the battle for the party leadership.
The outgoing Greater Manchester mayor took 24,937 votes to Reform candidate Robert Kenyon's 15,696, with turnout up six points to 59%. The scale of the victory stunned even his own camp: Burnham's majority was larger than the one Labour achieved in the seat during its 2024 general election landslide.
“Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election with 55% vote, triggering Labour leadership crisis.”
Crucially, his win was built on borrowed votes. The Green and Liberal Democrat share collapsed from 11% in the general election to just 1%, as left-leaning voters rallied behind Burnham to stop Reform. At Orrell waterpark, three former Green supporters – Mal, 64, Peta, 48, and Barb, 64 – said they had backed Burnham because they believed he had the best chance of defeating the 'divisive' politics of the right. 'I'm not a Labour fan but I like Burnham,' said Joseph, 50, a heavy goods driver who had voted Reform in 2024.
The result was a crushing blow for Nigel Farage. Reform's senior leadership had expected to be the story of the night, but instead fell more than 9,000 votes short. Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said voters had 'voted Burnham to guarantee that the prime minister is ousted'. Sir Keir Starmer, who congratulated Burnham, insisted he would not walk away, telling broadcasters: 'I'm not going to walk away. They've reached probably the peak of their support, it's going down.' But in a lunchtime call with Labour staff, he warned a leadership contest could end up 'tearing apart our party and our movement'.
Burnham, who returned to Westminster after nine years as mayor, made his intentions clear in his victory speech. 'Everyone knows that politics isn't working,' he said. 'Tonight could, just could, be a turning point.' He told his party: 'This is a final chance to change. We must hear it, we must act.' At a victory rally the next morning, former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh introduced him, saying he 'could hardly have found a more difficult seat to challenge'.
Burnham has already signalled he would take a tougher line on migration than the current government, pledging to expand the use of detention centres, end asylum hotels and reform how migrants are housed. 'Go further,' he said on the Channel crisis.
The next move is his: he must resign as Greater Manchester mayor, triggering a mayoral by-election that Reform will hope to target. The question for Labour is no longer whether Burnham will challenge Starmer, but when – and whether the party can avoid a bruising contest. As one ally put it, an 'orderly transition' is the preferred option. But with the King in the North now in Westminster, the road from Wigan Pier to Number 10 looks clearer than ever.