Andy Burnham Wins Makerfield By-Election, Secures Labour Hold

Labour’s Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election in northwestern England on Friday with 24,790 votes, or 54.5 percent of the 45,510 votes cast. Rob Kenyon of Reform UK finished second with 15,429 votes. Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, will be sworn in as a Member of Parliament as soon as Monday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted on social media that voters had chosen “Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.” Starmer said he would run in any leadership contest and would not walk away from the job.

Burnham told supporters after the result that “everyone knows that politics isn’t working.” He did not announce an immediate leadership challenge. The Associated Press reported that Starmer said he would fight attempts by Burnham to oust him. The BBC reported that Starmer said he would stand if a Labour leadership election were triggered.

The source bundle contains no statements from Burnham declaring he will challenge Starmer for the leadership. No timetable for any potential leadership contest was announced. The vessels’ operators have not been publicly identified by the U.S. government.