Frantic Starmer hunts for 'legacy' as Burnham boasts he is 'on course' to win Makerfield by-election - with Right-wing vote splitting

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 08:46, 8 June 2026 | Updated: 08:52, 8 June 2026 Keir Starmer is plotting a blizzard of activity before the crunch by-election as he braces for a challenge by Andy Burnham.  Downing Street has been lining up 'legacy' policies to improve the PM's standing with Labour MPs, including an under-16s social media ban. The critical Makerfield contest is entering its final 10 days, with Mr Burnham boasting that his campaign is 'on course'.  A poll last week suggested he is 10 points ahead of his Reform rival, although the outcome could rest on whether Right-wing voters split to back the Restore candidate.  Attention at Westminster is already turning to what Mr Burnham would do after his victory. The Greater Manchester Mayor has made little secret of his intention to seek the Labour leadership, even though Sir Keir has been vowing to fight on. Keir Starmer is plotting a blizzard of activity before the crunch by-election as he braces for a challenge by Andy Burnham (pictured) Sir Keir made it known over the weekend that he is determined to take on any challenge to his position However, there seems to be a divide among Mr Burnham's allies on the timing of any strike if he wins the by-election on June 18. Some are urging the former Cabinet minister to seize the initiative immediately, while others say he should wait until he is reestablished at Westminster. Sir Keir made it known over the weekend that he is determined to take on any challenge to his position. Even if a contest is triggered the PM would be able to stand without needing to get 80 nominations from MPs - although many doubt he would want to go through the process of hustings.  Former health secretary Wes Streeting has also indicated he wants to be a candidate.  In a video posted on social media last night, Mr Burnham said the 'warmth of reaction on the doorstep has been absolutely brilliant'. 'I may be getting a battering in the media but the campaign is on course,' he said. 'I'm fighting for every vote, I'm loving every minute.' A Survation poll released on Thursday showed Mr Burnham with 49 per cent support in Makerfield, ahead of Mr Kenyon on 39 per cent. Your browser does not support iframes. The research put Rebecca Shepherd of Restore Britain on 8 per cent and Sarah Wakefield of the Green Party on 2 per cent, with the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives on 1 per cent. The mayor's margin was bigger than suggested in an initial poll last month.  However, constituency surveys are notoriously difficult to conduct, meaning there is a bigger margin for error than usual.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.