Chris Mason: Emphatic win leaves Starmer and Labour MPs with big decision

Burnham's emphatic win leaves Starmer and Labour MPs with big decision6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleChris MasonPolitical editorPA MediaAndy Burnham couldn't have hoped for a better result than this.He has won and won big time, taking more votes than all his rivals combined.Granted the Makerfield parliamentary seat has elected Labour MPs for yonks, but just a matter of weeks ago, at the local elections, Reform UK were dominant in this collection of towns broadly to the south of Wigan – places like Abram, Hindley, Orrell and Winstanley.It has allowed Burnham and his team to road test an argument here – and we can expect to hear more of it in the coming days and weeks – that he is the Labour figure, unlike Sir Keir Starmer, who can beat Nigel Farage and Reform.And so, the coming argument will go, he ought to be their party leader and your prime minister.Live: Reaction as Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-electionBurnham says his win in Makerfield by-election could be turning pointBurnham says 'this is a final chance to change' in his victory speechBurnham's popularity and capacity to beat Reform in Greater Manchester is proven. What isn't is the extent to which this would extend around the country.That was a by-election campaign and a results night like no other. I have covered umpteen by elections, but none as significant as this.A total of 77,478 people were given the chance to choose a new MP explicitly because one of the candidates, Andy Burnham, wants to become prime minister and do so quickly.And Burnham was, to all intents and purposes, campaigning against his own party's governing record at Westminster.Extraordinary, when you think about it.His victory speech, in the middle of the night, was, paragraph by paragraph, implicit about his ambitions and in totality almost explicit."Tonight could be a turning point," he said. "This is a final chance to change," adding that this was a result that c...