Just four days ago, Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election.
Now Keir Starmer’s future as Prime Minister appears to be hanging by a thread.
Multiple national reports suggest Starmer is considering whether to step down after Burnham’s decisive victory returned him to Westminster and reignited a leadership battle that has been brewing inside Labour for months. Some reports claim a resignation statement is already being drafted, while others suggest a timetable for his departure could be announced as early as Monday 22 June.
No official announcement has yet been made, but what is clear is that the political shockwaves from Thursday night’s result are still spreading.
This was never a normal by-election.
The Makerfield constituency became the centre of British politics (and repeatedly referred to incorrectly, with the bulk of the media seeming to think the Makerfield constituency is the town of Ashton-in-Makerfield) the moment former MP Josh Simons stepped aside to allow Burnham a route back to Parliament. Burnham made no secret of his ambition, repeatedly telling voters that a vote for him was a vote to “change Labour”.
The gamble paid off.
Burnham secured a commanding victory, defeating Reform UK by more than 9,000 votes and dramatically strengthening his position inside the Labour Party.
Now Westminster is asking a question that would have seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago:
Could Andy Burnham be Britain’s next Prime Minister?
The pressure on Starmer has intensified throughout the weekend. Reports suggest hundreds of Labour MPs now back Burnham, while several cabinet ministers are said to have urged the Prime Minister to make way for a new leader rather than force a damaging leadership contest.
Starmer has publicly insisted he would fight any challenge. However, the mood inside Labour appears to have shifted dramatically since Burnham’s victory.
For people across the Makerfield constituency…. by now, most of us know more about *Makerfield than some of the national media who’ve spent the past few weeks talking about it, this is a remarkable situation.
A parliamentary constituency largely within Wigan has become the focal point of a political crisis that could determine who leads both the Labour Party and the country.
If Starmer remains, Burnham is expected to challenge him.
If Starmer resigns, Burnham could find himself on a path to Number 10.
Either way, the Makerfield by-election is already proving to be far more than a local election.
It may ultimately be remembered as the moment British politics changed direction.
*For the avoidance of doubt, Makerfield is not a town or village. It’s a parliamentary constituency covering Ashton-in-Makerfield, Bryn, Abram, Hindley, Hindley Green, Orrell, Winstanley and Worsley Mesnes, together with parts of Leigh, Ince and Golborne.
