Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham's by-election win enables him to challenge UK PM
London, June 19
UK's Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham emerged victorious in a high-stakes by-election in northern England, paving the way for him to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and the United Kingdom, Al Jazeera reported.
Burnham defeated his closest challenger, Robert Kenyon, who was the candidate for the anti-immigration Reform UK, in the seat of Makerfield, the vote results showed early on Friday. He secured the House of Commons seat he needed to be able to bid for the prime ministership.
Burnham won 24,927 votes, beating Kenyon by more than 9,000 votes.
Rebecca Shepherd of Restore Britain was a distant third, trailed by Michael Winstanley of the Conservative Party, Sarah Wakefield of the Green Party, and the Liberal Democrats' Jake Austin, as reported by Al Jazeera.
"Everyone knows that politics is not working," Burnham said in his victory speech, adding, "Everyone can feel that the country isn't where it should be. Tonight could - just could - be the turning point. From here on, I will give everything that I have got to make it so, to ensure the name Makerfield is forever synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs."
Burnham's win will domino into Keir Starmer's resignation or set off a contest pitting the UK PM against the outgoing Mayor and Wes Streeting, the former Health Secretary, as per Al Jazeera.
Under the UK's political system, MPs can choose a new prime minister without holding a general election.
Burnham is widely considered a strong favourite to become the next prime minister if he challenges Starmer.
Starmer led the Labour Party to victory in 2024. But he has lately been under immense pressure with public unpopularity. Calls for his resignation within Labour have mounted since the party suffered crushing losses in local and regional elections in May.
20 ministers have resigned from Starmer's government in less than two years, nearly half of whom expressed a loss of confidence in his leadership or clashed with him on policy, including Streeting, as per Al Jazeera.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The anti-immigration Reform UK candidate losing by 9,000 votes is a relief. Makes you think about the parallels with certain parties in India that thrive on similar rhetoric. Glad to see voters in Makerfield rejected that divisiveness. Burnham's message of 'politics is not working' resonates globally.
Starmer had a tough run. In less than 2 years, 20 ministers resigning? That's like a soap opera! Compare that to our stable government—love or hate Modi, at least there's no constant rebellion. Burnham might bring fresh energy, but changing PM mid-term without election feels undemocratic to me.
As an Indian watching UK politics, I find it fascinating how internal party contests can change PM without a general election. We don't have that luxury here. Burnham's emphasis on 'change' is classic campaign rhetoric. Let's see if he can deliver. Wishing stability for the UK! 🙏
I live in the UK and Burnham's win is significant. He's popular in the north, but can he really unite Labour? Some of his policies are populist. Still beats the current mess though. Indian friends, your politics is different, but we all want leaders who actually solve problems, not just win elections.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.