Labour NEC Clears Andy Burnham for Makerfield By-election as 18 June Vote Could Reopen Leadership Fight
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 15
Labour NEC Clears Andy Burnham for Makerfield By-election as 18 June Vote Could Reopen Leadership Fight
10 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 15
Labour’s National Executive Committee approved Andy Burnham to seek selection in the Makerfield by-election, reversing its January decision and opening a route back to Westminster for the Greater Manchester mayor.
18 June is the likely by-election date after Labour MP Josh Simons resigned on Thursday to make way for Burnham; candidate applications close on 18 May and the local selection meeting is set for 21 May.
81 Labour MPs must back any formal challenge to Keir Starmer, and Burnham cannot enter a leadership contest unless he first becomes an MP, making Makerfield pivotal to any bid.
90 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to quit after disastrous election results and five ministers have resigned, but the prime minister is resisting calls to set a departure timetable.
Makerfield has long been a safe Labour seat but has recently tilted toward Reform UK, setting up a tougher contest as rivals frame the by-election as a test of Labour’s next direction.
As Labour’s heartlands turn to Reform UK, can one man’s comeback reverse a party's historic collapse?
Is Burnham’s ‘King of the North’ model a national solution or a local myth set to crumble under scrutiny?