Barred until now from challenging Keir Starmer because he is outside Parliament, Burnham can now garner the necessary support from 81 Labor MPs to trigger an internal election
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been elected Member of Parliament for the Makerfield constituency in northwest England, allowing him to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the Labor Party.
Burnham was elected with 54% of the vote (24,927 votes), defeating his main opponent, Robert Kenyon, from the Reform Party, who finished with 35% (15,696).
In her victory speech, Burnham said the result could be a “turning point” in British politics.
“Everyone knows that politics is not working. Everyone feels that the country is not where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point. From now on, I will give everything I have to make it so,” he said.
Addressing her own party, Burnham said that “this is the last opportunity for change”.
“That’s what people told me directly on the hundreds of doors I knocked on. We have to hear that message. We have to act accordingly and we have to get it right. There won’t be a second chance,” he argued.
The new MP and potential candidate for the leadership of the Labor Party said he wanted to “build a new politics based on unity and hope, moving away from the path that leads to a dark and divided politics, the kind we see in the United States.”
The result in this small constituency in northwest England with around 76,000 voters was watched with anticipation due to the potential impact on national politics.
Barred until now from challenging Keir Starmer because he is outside Parliament, Burnham can now garner the necessary support from 81 Labor MPs to trigger an internal election.
Former Health Minister Wes Streeting also said this week he was interested in running.
Under pressure from many of his own MPs to resign, Starmer has so far been determined to remain in office and face challenges to his leadership.
In the other two parliamentary by-elections held on Thursday, the Conservative Party won the Aberdeen South seat from the Scottish National Party, which won Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, also in Scotland.
