WIGAN, England: Labour mayor Andy Burnham cleared a path to ousting Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday after winning a parliamentary seat in northern England, a victory that could usher in a new bout of political instability in Britain.
Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor nicknamed the “King of the North”, won the contest in Makerfield in northwest England with 54.8% of the vote, while the candidate for Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party came second with 34.5%.
His victory in what could be most consequential local election in more than six decades means he will now be able to trigger or take part in a contest to replace Starmer, struggling with some of the worst popularity ratings of any British leader. But the key question is when and how Burnham will do it.
BURNHAM HAILS VICTORY AS A ‘TURNING POINT’
In his victory speech, Burnham said the result could be a “turning point” for British politics and told his party that this was a final chance to change direction.
“We must hear it, we must act upon it, and we must get it right,” he said. “There will be no second chance.”
Starmer, who has said he will fight on, was quick to congratulate Burnham, saying on X: “Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”
Burnham, a career politician who has expressed support for the nationalisation of key public services and criticised what he called four decades of failed neo-liberal economics, has said he would seek to replace Starmer and change politics.
Polls show Burnham, 56, is Labour’s most popular politician who would win a leadership contest decided by party members, while some Labour lawmakers hope Starmer could be persuaded to hand over power to avoid a damaging contest.
That would mean Britain installing its seventh prime minister in about a decade, the highest turnover in nearly two centuries, as voters punish leaders who failed to improve living standards, public services and tackle illegal immigration.
LABOUR DIVISIONS DEEPEN AS PRESSURE GROWS ON STARMER
Two years after winning a landslide national election, Starmer, 63, is one of the least popular British prime ministers since polling records began. Scandals, policy U-turns, and accusations of indecision have derailed the delivery of the change he once promised.
About a quarter of Starmer’s lawmakers have called for him to quit since his party suffered heavy losses in local elections last month, while senior colleagues, including the defence and health minister, resigned over his leadership.
A defiant Starmer said this week he would stand in any leadership contest and issued a warning to his party about the potential “chaos” of a potentially divisive leadership election.
But one Labour member of parliament, who stayed up to watch the election result in the early hours of Friday, said the scale of Burnham’s victory means Starmer’s departure was inevitable.
“It is over,” the lawmaker said.
Culture minister Lisa Nandy, one of Burnham’s most prominent allies, told reporters she expected Burnham and Starmer to speak soon. Nandy ruled out resigning from the cabinet, but said she could not speak for other ministers.
Another of Starmer’s main rivals, former health minister Wes Streeting, said this week he would force a contest soon unless the prime minister announced when he would stand down.
Burnham has said he will stand in any leadership contest.
Under Labour rules, it would take 20% of the parliamentary party, or 81 lawmakers, to announce they were backing a single candidate to trigger a leadership challenge.
BURNHAM HEADS FOR CELEBRATORY BEER
During a month-long campaign, Burnham has acted like a prime minister-in-waiting often explaining policies for a potential future government but he has been forced to reassure nervous investors by insisting he would stick to strict fiscal rules.
This was after he said last year Britain was “in hock” to the bond markets, comments interpreted as meaning he would increase government borrowing. He has since said those comments were misrepresented.
Political historians say the election for Makerfield could be the most important one-off vote for a parliamentary seat in Britain since 1963 when the then Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home – who had a hereditary seat in parliament – stood for election to the House of Commons to cement his position.
In his acceptance speech, Burnham indicated he wanted to counter the rise of polarising, populist politics.
Burnham said his victory was a chance for Britain to turn “away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States”.
He then told journalists his first act as a newly-elected member of parliament would be to go for a pint of beer.
