Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election has paved the way for a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer, amid mounting calls for him to resign as prime minister.
Mr Burnham, who defeated Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon by 9,231 votes, up from 5,399 in 2024, defied national trends to increase Labour’s share of the vote in an area where Nigel Farage’s Reform UK made sweeping gains in last month’s local elections.
