Polls Close In Makerfield By-Election As Andy Burnham Challenges Keir Starmer

Polls closed in the Makerfield byelection as Andy Burnham sought to return to Westminster and challenge Keir Starmer for Labour leadership, with the result poised to decide the future of UK politics.

“Polls close in Makerfield by-election The polls have now closed in the Makerfield by-election”

BBC

The Guardian said the contest was between the Labour candidate and Reform’s Robert Kenyon, with the race kicking off on 14 May after MP Josh Simons announced he would be standing down to allow Burnham to contest the seat.

BBC

The BBC reported that more than 30 polling stations in the Greater Manchester constituency opened at 07:00 BST and closed at 22:00, with counting expected to begin as soon as possible and the result declared in the early hours of Friday morning.

The BBC also said the by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, while voters in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry and Aberdeen South headed to the polls earlier after their MPs stood down to take up posts as MSPs following May's Holyrood elections.

In the background of the vote, The Guardian described Makerfield as a constituency sitting just outside Wigan, with about 70,000 voters bombarded by politicians, journalists and campaigners as Reform’s vote share rose in the eight Makerfield wards that voted in the local elections.

Starmer insisted he would fight any challenge, telling reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France that he would offer Burnham “a big role in government” if he wins, while Burnham’s allies said he was not interested in any job offer.

The Independent quoted Labour MP Kim Johnson urging colleagues to start the leadership contest “hopefully as soon as possible”, as it described speculation that Burnham might wait for a replacement as Greater Manchester mayor before making a move.

CNN

The Guardian reported that on Wednesday Starmer suggested he was willing to offer the mayor of Greater Manchester a “big” job in his government, saying he was “a huge asset to our party and our movement,” while Burnham allies said “the benefit Andy has is not having been associated with the government’s failings”.

The Independent also said Burnham told voters: “A vote for me is a vote to end 40 years of trickle-down economics that didn’t trickle down much at all to people here.”

As the election unfolded, the BBC said 14 candidates took part in the Makerfield by-election, including Andy Burnham for Labour and Co-operative Party and Robert Kenyon for Reform UK, alongside candidates such as Jake Austin for Liberal Democrats and Sarah Wakefield for Green Party.

The election’s stakes were framed as immediate and personal for Labour leadership, with the Washington Post describing a “Sliding Doors” moment in which a Burnham win or loss by one vote could change what happens next for British politics.

“Reuters | The Northern English Area Of Makerfield Votes On Thursday In A Local Election That Could Return Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham To Parliament | United Kingdom The northern English area of Makerfield votes on Thursday in a local election that could return Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to parliament, paving the way for him to launch a bid to take over as prime minister”

Devdiscourse

NBC News said the people of Makerfield would decide whether to vote Andy Burnham back into Parliament, and that if elected he would challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the ruling Labour Party.

The Independent said the fate of Sir Keir’s government was in the hands of the 76,641-strong electorate in the former coal mining town near Wigan, and it reported that Burnham had told The Daily Mirror he would not launch a formal leadership bid within the first 72 hours of becoming an MP again.

The Guardian reported that Reform faced a splitting of the rightwing vote after Restore Britain launched four months ago and called for the death penalty and mass deportations, with Rupert Lowe’s party predicted to win about 7% of the vote.

In parallel, the BBC said the Makerfield by-election was one of several contests on the same day, with voters also heading to the polls in the Scottish constituencies of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry and Aberdeen South after MPs stood down to take up posts as MSPs following May's Holyrood elections.