Voters in Makerfield went to the polls this morning in a contest that could jolt Westminster, with the northwest England by-election being cast as one of the most consequential in modern British political history.
Labour has selected Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, who is seeking a return to Parliament in a bid to unseat Keir Starmer and ultimately replace him as prime minister.
Mr Starmer said yesterday that, if Mr Burnham wins when votes are counted, he would be willing to hand him a “big” role in government.
However, allies of Mr Burnham dismissed the overture, saying he had no interest in taking up the offer and arguing that “the benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the Government’s failings”.
According to The Times, Mr Burnham and those around him are said to be angling for a “coronation”, with Mr Starmer stepping aside rather than forcing a full leadership contest — a route they believe would harm Labour’s brand.
The prime minister, for his part, has repeatedly insisted he will not resign and has signalled he would contest any challenge.
The Guardian reported that Mr Burnham’s camp has urged several cabinet ministers not to resign before the by-election, to avoid plunging the government into chaos in the days leading up to the vote.
Reform’s candidate Robert Kenyon is seen as Andy Burnham’s closest competitor
The newspaper said that some pro-Burnham figures inside government had considered quitting early as a way to pile pressure on Mr Starmer to make way for his rival.
The Guardian also reported that Wes Streeting, the former health secretary who resigned to pursue a potential Labour leadership bid, met Mr Burnham while campaigning in Makerfield on Monday.
A source told the newspaper that “no deals were done” during that encounter.
Mr Starmer has said he intends to call Mr Burnham “after the weekend”.
Even so, the Prime Minister could face rapid calls either to accept a leadership contest or to step down, with Mr Streeting having indicated he would be prepared to set the process in motion.
At his final campaign event yesterday evening, Mr Burnham told supporters that the by-election would send a message to Westminster that “change is coming”.
“This is a chance to vote for change, for change in politics, for change in our economy, to vote for people, to make life better for people,” he said, before adding: “It is a vote for Makerfield. It is a vote for hope.”
Mr Burnham’s closest challenger in Makerfield is Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage. Polling has suggested Reform is losing some voters to Restore Britain, a party to its right that takes a more hard-line stance on migration and other issues.
In his closing appeal, Mr Burnham warned against backing Reform’s candidate, Robert Kenyon, saying a Reform victory could usher in a “darker and more divided politics”.
“There is a path that carries on and makes Britain look more and more like the United States of America, and we do not, in my view, want to end up there, where people can’t talk to each other in the street. That’s not the Britain I know, and the Britain that I love, and that’s not the path that we should be taking,” Mr Burnham said.
Makerfield is one of three parliamentary by-elections being held today.
The other two contests are in Scotland — Aberdeen South, and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry — following the departures of SNP MPs Stephen Gethins and Stephen Flynn, who stood down after winning seats in May’s Scottish Parliament elections.
