Makerfield by-election: ‘Don’t delay Starmer challenge’, impatient Labour MPs urge Burnham

Impatient Labor MPs have called on Andy Burnham to launch his leadership bid as soon as possible if he wins the crucial Makerfield by-election as expected and secures his return to Westminster.

The most important by-election in decades could be the first to decide who becomes prime minister, with the 76,641-strong electorate in the former coal mining town near Wigan going to the polls on Thursday.

There was speculation that Mr Burnham might wait until he was elected mayor of Greater Manchester before making the move, but one Labor MP said: “We cannot dawdle and delay any further.”

Labor Riverside MP Kim Johnson told Independent their colleague wanted the competition to begin “hopefully as soon as possible”, while another suggested it would be “Monday at the latest” before an official challenge was held.

The clamor to end uncertainty about Sir Keir Starmer’s government came as Mr Burnham held the pre-election rally promising “change will come” in British politics.

He told voters: “A vote for me is a vote to end 40 years of trickle-down economics that hasn’t made much sense to the people here.

“This is a vote to reduce water bills, energy bills, to make life more affordable for people again, to put a little more money in the pockets of British people, to give people a little more breathing space in their daily lives. That’s what a vote is for me. A vote to strengthen the North of England.”

Former health secretary Wes Streeting has warned that if Mr Burnham wins the by-election he could pull the trigger on a leadership fight as early as next week in a bid to end the “paralysis” within Labor unless Sir Keir “leaves on his own terms”.

Independent He understands that recently resigned former Armed Forces Secretary Al Carns wants to run, but another potential candidate, Angela Rayner, appears determined to support Mr Burnham instead.

One senior MP noted: “I think we’ve run out of patience. A contest can take months and we’ve got to get it done.”

Another added: “It’s over for Starmer. I hope he understands this and we can continue to make Andy a leader.”

In a last-ditch bid to save his government, Sir Keir made a last-ditch bid to give Mr Burnham a government job if he is elected in the early hours of Friday morning.

Sir Keir told reporters at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France: “What I will say about Andy is that he is a great asset to our party and our movement.

“I hope he wins the by-election and plays a big part in the Labor government. He was a very successful mayor. His was the team I joined when I entered politics and we work very closely together.”

But sources close to the Manchester mayor have made it clear he would not accept a job as prime minister, a sign he is ready to move against Sir Keir for the top job.

The pressure from MPs to replace Sir Keir comes as data collected by the Reform candidates shows Mr Burnham is expected to win by around 5 per cent, while private polls for Labor suggest it could be an even more comfortable margin.

Labor Party polls showed Mr Burnham’s biggest appeal in Makerfield was that his election would result in Sir Keir’s removal as Prime Minister.

A survey of 774 leading business leaders across the UK reveals that the mayor of Greater Manchester is their preferred choice for Prime Minister, with a net score of +16 percentage points on improving the business environment. Kemi Badenoch followed with +12 per cent, while Sir Keir had a slightly negative performance at -1 per cent and Nigel Farage followed with -3 per cent.

Survival of Pollsters They believe Mr. Burnham’s vote may be higher than polls indicate and predict he will win by 10 points.

Polling on Politics UK shows Mr Burnham on 46 per cent, Reform on 39 per cent and Rupert Lowe’s right-wing Restore Britain party on 7 per cent.

Meanwhile, leading poll analysts have warned that Reform’s defeat at Makerfield would be disastrous for Labour.

Professor Sir John Curtice said defeat could leave Labor in a protracted leadership race if Sir Keir insists on staying.

He said: “The question is where do they go after the Burnham defeat because then is there anyone who can a) beat Starmer in a contest and b) do a better job?”

He added: “The problem for everyone is that 100 Labor MPs are saying this guy is not fit for the job. You can’t run a general election in that environment.”

Conservative Lord Robert Hayward said that if Labor lost it would be a blow to the party “because of the positive impact it would have on the Reformation”.

“Andy Burnham is the ideal candidate for this constituency and so if he cannot lead voters it would indicate to a much wider audience of the Labor Party that they face serious problems in their heartlands,” he said.

“If he wins, it will be a tremendous achievement for him and he will be personally congratulated. If Labor loses, the blow it will have on the party as a whole will be huge, and of course it will have an impact on internal machinations.”

He added that if Reform lost, they would have “a reason to lose”, which would be either the recent rise in support in the electorate for Restore Britain or the defeat of local icon Andy Burnham.

“This will still damage the psychology of the party,” he added.

If they win, he said, it could “accelerate Reformation in a pretty significant way” and help them send the message that “they are the next party in government.”