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Andy Burnham has officially won his special election and secured a seat in Parliament, leaving him ready to challenge the deeply unpopular Keir Starmer as Labor Party leader and Prime Minister.
Burnham, who is currently mayor of Greater Manchester in northwest England, won a seat in Makerfield with 55% of the vote in a field of more than a dozen candidates, according to the Associated Press. The runner-up was Rob Kenyon of the right-wing populist party Reform UK, who received over 9,000 fewer votes than Burnham.
Burnham last served as a Member of Parliament in 2017, but strongly stated in her victory speech that she intended to return to lead the United Kingdom.
“Everyone knows politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country is not where it should be. Tonight could be the turning point,” he said, according to the AP. “This outcome will create a country that works fairly for everyone, everywhere.”
Trump ally Nigel Farage has dealt a major blow to Starmer in Britain’s local elections as calls for his resignation grow.
Britain’s Labor Party candidate Andy Burnham speaks to supporters after the Makerfield by-election in Ashton, England, on Friday, June 19, 2026. (John Super/AP)
This special election, called a by-election in Britain, was unusually significant because the area’s Labor MP Josh Simmons deliberately resigned to allow Burnham to win the seat and take the leadership.
The potentially huge impact of this election came to light with the strange scene that unfolded as all the candidates gathered on Friday morning to hear the results. Burnham stood between an independent candidate dressed in a fox costume and another candidate named “Count Binface”.
As his name suggests, “Count Binface”, whose real name is Jonathan David Harvey, wears a garbage can on his head and regularly attends UK elections to advocate for increased voter turnout.
Starmer congratulated Burnham in a social media post on Twitter, saying voters “chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hatred.”
When Burnham was asked about his intention to remove him as leader, Starmer said he would fight to remain Prime Minister, a position he has held for almost two years.
“I have said repeatedly that I will not walk away from this,” Starmer told reporters.
Labor Party candidate Andy Burnham, centre, stands with other candidates on the platform in Edge Wigan, awaiting the announcement of the Makerfield by-election result in Wigan, England, Friday, June 19, 2026. (John Super/AP)
Reaction to the appointment related to Epstein has begun, Britain’s Prime Minister Starmer is facing a rebellion in the party amid demands for resignation.
Starmer led the Labor Party to a landslide victory in July 2024 and since then, his popularity has been declining due to a persistently high cost of living, a weak economy and a scandal over his willingness to accept gifts from wealthy donors.
Last September, Starmer was criticized for appointing Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States after it became known in early 2019 that Mandelson was friends with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After a massive public backlash, Mandelson was promptly dismissed from his position.
With Starmer as leader, Labor is rapidly losing liberal-minded voters to the Green Party, while also facing strong challenges from Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage, which advocates against mass migration and in favor of strict border controls. Farage, an ally of US President Donald Trump, said he was disappointed by Burnham’s victory.
Burnham is expected to travel to London to be sworn in on Monday. Under the British parliamentary system, the ruling party can hold a leadership election mid-term. The winner of such a contest could become Prime Minister without holding national elections.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer waits for Swiss Federal President Guy Parmelin on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Pool Reuters via AP)
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Under Labor rules, an MLA can challenge the leader if they win the support of a fifth of their party’s members in the House of Commons. According to a report in The New Statesman, Burnham has enough MLAs to trigger a leadership contest.
According to the AP, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said Burnham and Starmer would be “talking about what happens next” in the next few days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
