Andy Burnham Seeks Makerfield Seat Amid Leadership Turmoil
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will seek the Makerfield by-election after an MP stood down, as cabinet resignations and local gains by Reform UK intensify pressure on Labour leadership.
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Overview
Andy Burnham said he will ask Labour to be its candidate in the Makerfield by-election after MP Josh Simons announced he would resign to make way for him.
The announcement follows a day of upheaval that included the resignation of health secretary Wes Streeting and reports that nearly a third of the party had called for the prime minister to resign.
Allies of Sir Keir Starmer said he would not seek to block Burnham from standing, while Reform leader Nigel Farage said his party would "throw absolutely everything" at the contest.
Reform UK swept recent local contests in Makerfield, winning roughly eight to 11 wards and about half the vote, while Labour held the seat by 5,399 votes in 2024.
Labour's officers' group could meet as soon as Friday to confirm Burnham's selection, a by-election normally takes five to six weeks, and he could return to parliament as early as early July.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the episode as an internal crisis for Starmer, using charged verbs (rebellion, scathing), prioritizing resignations and critical passages from Streeting's letter, and leading with instability. They include counterpoints (GDP uptick, Reeves' defense) late in the piece, which softens but does not fully offset the dominant crisis narrative.