Labour's Andy Burnham wins a special election, setting up a showdown with Starmer to lead Britain

Politics Labour's Andy Burnham wins a special election, setting up a showdown with Starmer to lead Britain June 19, 20263:48 AM ET By  The Associated Press Andy Burnham, Britain's Labour candidate for Makerfield, gestures in front of supporters during the by-election in Makerfield, England, Thursday, June 18, 2026 where voters are choosing a new lawmaker with Andy Burnham of the Labour Party as the leading contender. Jon Super/AP hide caption toggle caption Jon Super/AP LONDON — Labour's Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Greater Manchester, has won a special election for a seat in Parliament that puts him in a position to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the country. Burnham decisively won the seat of Makerfield in northwest England over Rob Kenyon of the anti-immigration party Reform UK. The victory announced early Friday cements the status of Burnham, a 56-year-old politician nicknamed the King of the North, as the top contender to replace Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and the country. Burnham won almost 55% of the 45,510 votes counted, over 9,000 more than Kenyon. Sponsor Message Burnham's victory speech left no doubt that he wants to lead the country, and not just be one of the more than 400 Labour lawmakers in the 650-seat House of Commons. "Everyone knows that politics isn't working," he said. "Everyone can feel that the country isn't where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point." Starmer, who has previously maintained he will fight any leadership challenge, took to social media to congratulate Burnham. "Voters chose Labour's campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate," the prime minister wrote on X. Burnham has led Manchester since 2017, overseeing rapid regeneration for the city where the Industrial Revolution was forged. He is pledging to repeat his signature brand of "Manchesterism" on a national scale. Burnham said he would work to ensure that "the name Makerfield is forever s...