Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleNicole Wootton-CaneFriday 19 June 2026 10:05 BSTWhat Andy Burnham's crushing Makerfield by-election victory means for Keir StarmerGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has secured a landslide victory against Reform UK in the Makerfield by-election, with some seeing his return to Westminster as a direct challenge to Keir Starmer’s leadership.Mr Burnham was first elected as Labour MP for Leigh in 2001 and held ministerial roles under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, but frequently found himself at odds with the Westminster establishment.He stood down as an MP in 2017 with a call for “real change” in national politics to rebalance power towards the regions, saying UK politics was in a “crisis” and the Westminster system was “a major part of the problem”.Later in 2017, Mr Burnham took more than 60 per cent of the vote to become the first metro mayor of Greater Manchester and outlined plans to end rough sleeping in the region by 2020.Mr Burnham made his first bid for Labour leadership in 2010 – losing to Mr Miliband. In 2015 he was again beaten in a leadership contest – this time by Mr Corbyn, who later promoted him to shadow home secretary.In fullAndy Burnham: The ‘King of the North’ who could be the next prime ministerThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in