Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham Wins Crucial UK By-Election

London. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has won a very important by-election in North England with a spectacular victory. 

This victory has opened the way for him to challenge current Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and the post of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

According to the election results released on Friday morning, Burnham secured the House of Commons seat from the Makerfield constituency, which he needed to enter the race for Prime Minister. Burnham received 24,927 votes, defeating his closest competitor and candidate of the anti-immigration party 'Reform UK', Robert Kenyon, by more than 9,000 votes. Similarly, Rebecca Shepherd of 'Restore Britain' came in third place, while Michael Winstanley of the Conservative Party, Sarah Wakefield of the Green Party, and Jake Austin of the Liberal Democrats fell far behind.

In his victory speech, Burnham stated that everyone feels that the current politics is not working and the country is not where it should be. He said, 'Tonight can prove to be a new turning point for the country. Moving forward from here, I will use all my strength to bring the necessary change to the country and establish the name of Makerfield in history.'

Burnham's victory makes it certain that Prime Minister Starmer will be forced to resign or a leadership contest will begin within the Labour Party against him. According to the British political system, members of Parliament can elect a new Prime Minister without holding a general election. If he challenges Starmer, Burnham has a strong chance of becoming the new Prime Minister. 

According to a recently released survey, 25 percent of British citizens want to see Burnham as Prime Minister, while Starmer has only 12 percent support. If he becomes Prime Minister, Britain will have its seventh Prime Minister since the 2016 Brexit vote.

Although the Labour Party achieved a big victory in the general election of 2024, due to extreme public dissatisfaction with Starmer's style of work, there has been immense pressure on him to step down. After the embarrassing defeat suffered by the party in the local and regional elections held last May, those demanding Starmer's resignation have increased.

In less than two years, 20 ministers in the Starmer government have resigned, half of whom expressed no confidence in the leadership. However, Starmer has rejected the calls for resignation and has taken a stance to face any leadership challenge.

Burnham, known as a leader with a strong grassroots presence in Northern England and capable of challenging the central government, is also known by the nickname 'King of the North'. He contested the election with a promise to change the Labour Party to change politics and the country. As Mayor, he has strongly criticized the London-centric political system and neoliberal economic policies.

Burnham, who has held various ministerial responsibilities during the premierships of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, was considered a strong contender to win the election even before this. This by-election occurred after former Labour MP Josh Simons resigned from his post last month, paving the way for Burnham to run against Starmer. 58.75 percent of the votes were cast in this constituency, which is higher than in the general election of 2024.

Al Jazeera