Starmer Vows to Fight Labour Leadership Challenge After Burnham Wins Makerfield With 55%
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 19
Starmer Vows to Fight Labour Leadership Challenge After Burnham Wins Makerfield With 55%
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 19
Summary
Keir Starmer said he would stand in any Labour leadership contest after Andy Burnham’s Makerfield by-election win sharpened pressure on the prime minister’s position.
Burnham won 24,937 votes, about 55%, against Reform U.K.’s Rob Kenyon on 15,696, then used his victory speech to call the result Labour’s “last chance to change.”
The result puts Burnham back in Parliament and strengthens allies who argue he is Labour’s best answer to Reform, though the timing of any formal challenge remains unclear.
Betting markets moved quickly after the vote, with William Hill putting Labour and Reform level at 13/8 to form the next government, from Labour’s 15/8 a day earlier.
The contest also exposed wider strains in British politics: turnout topped 59%, Reform again fell short in a target seat, and investors watched for any sign a Burnham rise could unsettle bond markets.
With Reform UK surging, is Britain's two-party system officially dead, paving the way for a populist government?
Can the 'king of the North' truly unite a fractured UK, or is his victory just the start of more political chaos?
Labour in Turmoil: Burnham’s Makerfield Victory Sparks Immediate Leadership Challenge Amid Record Poll Slump
Overview
Andy Burnham’s decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election on June 19, 2026, immediately intensified the Labour Party’s leadership crisis. This win followed Labour’s poor performance in the May local elections, which had already led many lawmakers to demand Keir Starmer’s resignation. Despite this pressure, Starmer refused to step down, highlighting deep divisions within the party. Burnham’s success was seen by rivals like Wes Streeting as proof that Labour needed change, with Streeting threatening to force a leadership contest if Starmer did not resign. The by-election result became a clear signal of growing discontent and set the stage for a direct leadership challenge.