The UK Labour Party’s Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, won a special election for a seat in Parliament and yesterday signaled that he would use it to challenge embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the nation.
Burnham decisively won the seat of Makerfield in northwest England over Rob Kenyon of the anti-immigration party Reform UK, and called the victory a chance for Britain “to turn the tide.”
The result cements the status of Burnham, a 56-year-old politician nicknamed the “King of the North,” as the top contender to replace Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and the nation. Burnham won almost 55 percent of the 45,510 votes cast for a field of more than a dozen candidates, more than 9,000 more than runner-up Kenyon.
Photo: AP
Burnham’s acceptance speech left no doubt that he wants to lead the nation, and not just be one of the more than 400 Labour MPs in the 650-seat House of Commons.
“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working,” he said. “Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”
Starmer congratulated Burnham, writing on X that voters “chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”
However, the prime minister insisted he would fight any attempt to oust him.
“Yes, I will run, I will stand,” if there is a Labour leadership contest, Starmer said. “I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”
Burnham has led Manchester since 2017, overseeing rapid regeneration for the city where the Industrial Revolution was forged. He is pledging to repeat his signature brand of “Manchesterism” on a national scale.
Burnham said he would work to ensure that “the name Makerfield is forever synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs.”
He told supporters and campaign workers yesterday that voters’ rejection of Labour in local elections last month was “a clear call for change” and “we are going to lay out a new path for Britain.”
“We need an economy that works for everybody, not a few in far-off places from here,” he said.
“We have an opportunity to turn the tide, to make the country feel like it’s working again, to make people see that politics can make a positive difference, to make people feel hope again,” he said.
Burnham is to head to London to be sworn in as a lawmaker as soon as Monday. He is likely to seek a meeting with Starmer to argue that the prime minister should exit gracefully and set a timetable for his departure.
Labour MP Louise Haigh, a Burnham ally, said Starmer should “do what’s best for both the country and the Labour Party,” and “consider an orderly and managed transition.”
“Andy won’t be doing anything rash or hasty,” she told Sky News. “I’m really hopeful the prime minister and Andy can come to an agreement.”
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