Makerfield by-election results LIVE: Andy Burnham secures landslide win paving way for him to challenge Keir Starmer

Makerfield by-election results LIVE: Andy Burnham secures landslide win paving way for him to challenge Keir Starmer Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election with 24,927 votes - giving him a majority of 9,231. Reform's Robert Kenyon was a distant second with 15,696 votes Andy Burnham has convincingly won the Makerfield by-election - clearing a major obstacle on the path to No10. The 'King of the North' comfortably saw off controversial Reform candidate Rob Kenyon, winning nearly 55% of the vote. He is widely tipped to challenge for the Labour leadership in the coming days or weeks, with Keir Starmer's position now looking increasingly precarious. Mr Burnham described the result as a "turning point" and said he had unfinished business in Westminster, nearly a decade after he left Parliament. In the most consequential by-election in modern times, he picked up 24,937 votes compared to Mr Kenyon's 15,696. Rebecca Shepherd, of hard-right party Restore, came in third with 3,111. In his victory speech Mr Burnham said: “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point." As he left, he told reporters he was going for a pint. Nigel Farage, who was in the constituency on Thursday morning, was nowhere to be seen as his candidate - whose campaign has been mired in controversy - was emphatically beaten. Follow live updates below.... Key Events Mr Burnham’s vote share was higher than the figure achieved by his predecessor Josh Simons at the 2024 general election, which was 45.2%, and ranks as Labour’s best performance in the seat since 2017. Mr Kenyon’s 34.5% of the vote represents Reform’s second best performance at a Westminster by-election to date, behind only the contest in Runcorn and Helsby in 2025, where his party got 38.7% – which was enough to win the seat from Labour. Both Labour and Reform finished well ahead of all other parties in Makerfield. Ms Shepherd was the only other candidate to get more than 5% of the votes cast – the threshold needed to avoid losing the £500 deposit that all candidates have to pay to stand for election to parliament in the UK. Andy Burnham has told reporters he is going for a "pint" after his landslide win at the Makerfield by-election. He was photographed alongside his wife Marie-France Van Heel and their daughter Rosie leaving the count venue. Cabinet minister Lisa Nandy said it was “history in the making” after Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election. She said: “What Andy’s shown here is that there is something that he brings, a willingness to go out and fight for the change that people need, to take on any system and any person who stands in the way and to be bold and to wear his heart on his sleeve, and people have responded.“I think that with him back in the top team, at the top table, helping to drive that change, I think we’ll be in a really strong position.” Polling expert Sir John Curtice said Andy Burnham’s Makerfield victory was not likely to lead to a nationwide surge in Labour’s popularity.Speaking on the BBC, he said: “Can this be replicated elsewhere? First thing to note, between them the Conservatives, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats got no more than 3% of the vote.“I think one has to say that there are two crucial elements to Mr Burnham’s success. The first is the apparent readiness of those who are minded to vote for parties other than Reform, or indeed Restore Britain, their readiness to fall in and vote for Mr Burnham.“The second element of Mr Burnham’s success is that in a sense he was riding two horses at once. He was both riding as the person who was trying to appeal to the traditional Labour vote … and he was also able to appeal to those who wanted to see the back of Keir Starmer.“The question you have to ask yourself is when Mr Burnham becomes prime minister, how easy will that trick be to repeat? Because once he’s his own man, he’s not going to be able to campaign against himself in the way he’s campaigned against Keir Starmer.“Bear in mind the fact that because he is so popular within Manchester, the extent to which his popularity can be extended across the whole of the country. All of this is for Mr Burnham to prove – it looks as if he will get the opportunity to prove it but I don’t think we should assume that there is going to be suddenly a dramatic change in the standing of the Labour party in the national opinion polls.” Rupert Lowe has said tonight's vote in the Makerfield constituency shows his party is "here to stay". Reacting to the result, Lowe said: "Restore Britain is here to stay. A huge step forward for our party tonight." Andy Burnham gained 24,927 votes - giving him a majority of 9,231. Reform's Robert Kenyon was a distant second with 15,696. See the full results here. Burnham's speech was hijacked by other candidates, which saw him exit the stage. But, upon his return to the stage Mr Burnhma said: ""Everyone knows that politics isn't working, everyone can feel that the country isn't where it should be." He went on to say: "I promise to lead by example from the front. I will focus on problem-solving rather than point-scoring, and I will work hard after this by-election to heal the divisions of this campaign and let it be really understood that I will be your MP, however you voted." Read the full story here: Writing in from the count, Mirror political correspondent Dave Burke says... Andy Burnham’s high stakes gamble has paid off.The so-called King of the North is heading back to Westminster after a nearly 10 year absence.Just after 3am he was confirmed as the new MP for Makerfield after beating Reform’s Rob Kenyon with a thumping majority of over 9,000.For all the anxiety we've seen in recent weeks, it wasn't even close.This is a significant win for many reasons - and we’ve just seen the most consequential by election in modern times. Firstly, Makerfield is a big target area for Reform - it won all the council seats up for grabs here in May. Burnham has shown that he can - in this instance at least - turn the tide.Could it now mean Keir Starmer’s days are numbered? We know a leadership race is imminent, although how imminent depends on who you talk to.But now he’s back in the Commons, Burnham is undoubtedly the front runner. The PM has said he intends to fight any challenger, but again there’s a lot of moving parts.Things could move very fast, or it could turn into a long, drawn out process over the summer. And Mr Starmer isn’t without his supporters.For the moment there’s a lot of joy and no shortage of relief from Burnham’s camp.The path ahead won’t be easy. No other Labour candidate has the personal profile that mr Burnham has. Not every Reform candidate will have the chequered online past that Mr Kenyon has.But for now at least Burnham has shown that in the face of grim polling, Reform can be beaten in their backyard.And that will make things feel a bit better for Labour, at least for the time being. Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election for Labour. The Greater Manchester mayor won 24,927 votes, giving him a majority of 9,231. The result is also a blow for Reform UK's Robert Kenyon, who hoped to seize the constituency from Labour. But Kenyon won only 15,696 votes in total. Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election - clearing a major obstacle on the path to No10. The 'King of the North' saw off controversial Reform candidate Rob Kenyon and secured a return to Westminster after nearly a decade away. He is widely tipped to challenge for the Labour leadership in the coming days or weeks, with Keir Starmer's position now looking increasingly precarious. Read the full story here. The mayor of Greater Manchester walked into the hall to applause and cheering. A result in Makerfield is expected within the next hour. The Conservatives have won control of Aberdeen South from the SNP. It means Scottish Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden will take a seat in Westminster. While, The SNP have held the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry constituency. The party's candidate, Lara Bird, won a majority and 40.4% of the vote. The former Transport Secretary, a key member of Mr Burnham's campaign, said: "He's put a message of hope to the people of Makerfield... And we are quietly confident that the people of Makerfield have responded well to that message." She went on: "Well, look, I don't want to preempt the result, but we are we are optimistic and confident about the result. We believe that the people of Makerfield have responded to that message of hope and optimism. They sent a very, very clear message just six weeks ago at the local elections, voting around 50% across all eight wards, for Reform here. "But it looks like they have responded very positively to Andy's campaign. And I think that shows what can happen if we take on reform and take that positive message to the country beyond Makerfield as well." Ms Haigh said Mr Burnham will not challenge the PM "in the immediate aftermath" of the by-election if he wins.And she said that if Mr Starmer does not step aside, then the UK is doomed to having a Reform PM at the next general election. But asked what she would like to see the Prime Minister do, the former frontbencher said: "I hope that he will consider an orderly and managed transition. "We have said that the party is in an existential crisis and things cannot continue, and it was quite clear after the local elections, unfortunately, that he considered that business as usual would suffice. And he (Mr Burnham) has potentially shown tonight that what a change Labour Party can bring and how we can beat back the rise of Reform. Because without that optimism and without that on the ballot paper then we will see a Reform Prime Minister at the next general election." Andy Burnham is likely to discuss the Labour leadership situation directly with Sir Keir Starmer if he wins the Makerfield by-election, a Cabinet minister said. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Mr Burnham deserves to be heard “loud and clear at the top of politics” if he succeeds in fighting off the challenge from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the seat. If Mr Burnham does hold Makerfield for Labour, he is expected to use his return to the Commons to launch an effort to oust the Prime Minister. Ms Nandy, who insisted she still supports the Prime Minister, said Mr Burnham was capable of winning over voters in a way that no other Labour politician could. She said: “If Andy wins tonight I’m sure there’ll be a conversation with the Prime Minister. I’m sure the Prime Minister will want to call to congratulate him, in fact, I know he will, and I know that they’ll have then have a conversation about what comes next. “The Prime Minister has already signalled that he would like to extend a hand of friendship to Andy to make sure that he’s part of the team. I think that’s a conversation they need to have.” Cabinet minister Lisa Nandy said it was “far too early to get into what Andy Burnham might do next and what might happen next” but he deserved to be heard “loud and clear at the top of politics”. The Culture Secretary told Sky News: “If Andy Burnham can beat Reform in this by-election, he will have done something that, frankly, no other Labour politician in the country could have done.“Seven weeks ago, I can’t tell you what it was like knocking on doors around here. It was a completely different experience, door knocking for Andy Burnham. And that’s why I say that he has to be heard loud and clear in what comes next.”She added: ” I want us to pull together as a team. I want voices like Andy’s to be heard loud and clear at the top of politics. “ The official turnout for the Makerfield by-election was 58.75%, with 45,510 votes being cast. The last time a by-election had a higher turnout was the contest in Brecon & Radnorshire in August 2019, which saw the Liberal Democrats win the seat from the Conservatives. The BBC's election guru John Curtice says there's talk of voter turnout in Makerfield being between 60 and 65% - compared to the 52.5% turnout for the 2024 general election. Curtice said: "The last time the turnout was higher in a by-election than in the preceding general election you have to go back to 1982 and the by-election Glasgow Hillhead. "It's well over 40 years since we've had an increase in turnout in a by-election." Asked if he might have split the vote on the right and allowed Labour's Andy Burnham to be elected, Lowe told Sky News: "We'll see what happens. We don't know the outcome yet but if it does in a democratic election, you put yourself up as a candidate and you say what you're going to do and you let people vote for you. That's democracy. "I'm not worried about this vote-splitting narrative, which may or may not have had some effect at the end of the campaign. I'm not interested in that. What I'm interested in is democracy." Robert Kenyon is widely seen as the main challenger to Labour's Andy Burnham. He has said he is "confident of a big vote" for his party tonight. A Reform source at the Makerfield count said it was “way too early and too close to call”.He said canvassing had been “really positive”, but they would have a better idea of how the party had done after the verification process was complete Lord David Blunkett, a party member for 60 years, says - whatever happens tonight - his party is in "a deep mess". He tells BBC Newsnight that the party is in a "massive pickle" as the current government is "deeply unpopular". He says Labour "would have to have a complete rethink". The Reform leader was in Makerfield earlier in the day, so may well still be nearby. But he may only put in an appearance if his candidate, Rob Kenyon, is successful. Over recent weeks Mr Farage has been accused of hiding away from scrutiny. At one point Westminster journalists received invite after invite to Reform press conferences, where Mr Farage would shoot the breeze with his latest policy musings.But that stopped in late April, when it emerged he had accepted £5million from a crypto billionaire, Christopher Harborne before the 2024 election. That gift is currently being investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. Although Mr Farage has made media appearances since, many reporters - The Mirror included - would love the opportunity to put questions directly to him.At a press conference last week, his No2, Richard Tice, declined to rule out any other Reform figures receiving massive undeclared gifts. Read the full story here. We could know the critical by-election results within the next four hours. The Mirror undestands the latest estimate is between 3am and 4am. The verification of ballots started shortly after 10pm. Sources believe it is a high turnout for a by-election, between 60-65 per cent. Unlike the nearby Gorton and Denton by-election in February, the Green Party has not been campaigning as aggressively this time around. But the party has sounded a word of warning as the polls close - saying a Reform victory would be a catastrophe and saying Andy Burnham must do better to deliver change. A party spokesman said: "Whatever the outcome of this by-election, it's clear people are desperate for real change. "It will be a disaster for the people of Makerfield and the country if Reform’s candidate, with his history of misogynist views and Reform’s divisive policies wins out. "Andy Burnham also needs to do much better if he is to fulfil his campaign promise of change. Throughout the campaign, he u-turned and u-turned on crucial issues for the country, pledging to stick to the failed fiscal rules, to make Labour’s settled status policies even crueller, failing to promise electoral reform before the general election and to take water and energy into public ownership." And he added: "Unless Andy Burnham listens to the cry for change from the doorsteps of Makerfield, he is quickly going to find himself in the same status quo fuelled hole that Keir Starmer has ended up in."