June 19, 2026, 06:17June 19, 2026, 06:44
After the by-election in the Makerfield district, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is more threatened than ever with political extinction. Starmer’s potential intra-party challenger Andy Burnham won the district’s vacant parliamentary seat, the overnight count showed. As an “MP” (Member of Parliament), Burnham can now force the Prime Minister into a leadership election – and replace Labor with the support of the governing party.
Andy Burnham, Keir Starmer’s internal party rival.Image: keystone
This could be the “tipping point,” Burnham said in his early morning speech. “I will give everything I have to ensure that the Makerfield name will forever be synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs – and bringing back something we have lost: hope, hope for the future.”
Burnham won 24,927 votes in the small constituency that usually has little to do with big politics in Westminster, almost 10,000 votes more than the candidate of the right-wing populist Reform UK party, Robert Kenyon (15,696). Voter turnout was 58.78 percent, and none of the other candidates received more than 3,200 votes.
Burnham is giving up his post as mayor of Greater Manchester in favor of the Labor parliamentary seat. “There will be no second chances, but there is now a chance to build from this result tonight a new politics based on unity and hope,” Burnham said. Starmer did not mention the election winner in his speech.
London has been deep in crisis for months
The incumbent Prime Minister has been under massive pressure for months, and several ministers have already turned their backs on him – most recently the influential Defense Minister John Healey. Headlines such as “Starmer on the brink” or “Chaos returns to Westminster” have been piling up in various variations in recent weeks.
Keir Starmer is threatened with elimination.Image: keystone
The situation came to a head in particular as a result of Labor’s severe losses in favor of Reform in the local and regional elections in England, Scotland and Wales at the beginning of May. However, Starmer has so far ruled out resigning or at least working out a timetable for an orderly withdrawal. The Prime Minister repeatedly referred to his big election victory in the summer of 2024 and the task of leading the country out of the crisis.
This is how the election for party leadership is going
The critics’ hopes for a by-election victory for Burnham were correspondingly high. The charismatic 56-year-old is considered the favorite of the moderate-left wing of the party. In Manchester he earned a reputation as a down-to-earth doer with vision. Almost ten years ago, Burnham left parliament after a failed attempt to become the party leader. It is now certain that he will announce the next attempt very soon.
In order to challenge Starmer, Burnham and other possible candidates each need the support of 20 percent of Labor MPs, currently 81. This would then be followed by a ballot among the members and other eligible voters. As the current chairman, Starmer would automatically be up for election. Another candidate is Wes Streeting, who resigned as Health Minister.
However, the leadership election would not be completed within a few days – but would follow a fixed process that could last weeks or even months. Because this will naturally be accompanied by an internal party election campaign, the Labor chaos primarily plays into the hands of its opponents in parliament. Reform, the party of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, has been stirring up anti-government sentiment for months. Farage himself has made no secret of wanting to become prime minister himself. The next regular general election is not scheduled for 2029.
That’s why Makerfield of all places
The fact that a district in the northwest of England suddenly became so crucial for Britain’s future has nothing to do with the region itself. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of current MP Josh Simons, who vacated his seat after disastrous local and regional elections to allow Burnham to return to Westminster and trigger a leadership change at Labor.
This was associated with the risk that Reform could win the election – but in the end, Starmer’s opponents’ calculations worked out. On election day on Thursday, the district was teeming with campaigners from all parties. According to media reports, Farage knocked on doors to encourage people to vote. Burnham also made a big impression and advertised himself in the last few meters.
According to observers, he didn’t win because he belongs to Labor – but because he’s popular as a guy. When asked where the cross should be placed, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, the largest town in the constituency, it was often: Burnham or Reform – but hardly Labor or Reform. “Hopefully Andy” was the motto of many – officially including Starmer, who had to support his party colleague. In doing so, he has also made his now biggest challenger stronger. (dab/sda/dpa)
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