Andy Burnham has opened the door to a fresh Labour leadership battle, saying he would take on Prime Minister Keir Starmer if he secures victory in the Makerfield bye-election later this month. The Greater Manchester mayor said Labour, despite being in government, requires a fundamental reset as it struggles in the opinion polls. Burnham made the remarks during a BBC debate alongside other candidates contesting the parliamentary seat in northern England. Starmer, whose approval ratings rank among the weakest for a British…

Keir Starmer has said he will join the campaign trail for Andy Burnham in the north-west England bye-election, throwing his weight behind a figure widely seen as a possible rival for the Labour leadership. At the same time, the British prime minister and Labour leader tried to shift attention onto his government’s record and away from what he called “all the other discussions that are going on” — an apparent nod to the leadership speculation that has shadowed him since Labour’s heavy losses in local and devolved elections…

Andy Burnham has been confirmed as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield by-election, setting the stage for a closely watched contest with implications far beyond the constituency. Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee is understood to have shortlisted only the Greater Manchester mayor, removing the need for a vote by local party members. That decision tees up a battle between Mr Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, a local plumber who fought the seat for the party in 2024. Mr Burnham has presented his candidacy as…

Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster, once treated as an internal Labour headache, now looks like a direct test of Keir Starmer’s authority. It is easy to see why. The Greater Manchester Mayor remains one of Labour’s most bankable figures with the wider public, and he continues to command real affection across a large section of the parliamentary party. A 2021 YouGov poll found 69% of Labour members preferred him as leader over Mr Starmer. By comparison, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who resigned yesterday but did not go…

Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure over his leadership after a Labour MP stepped aside to give Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham a route back to parliament — and a possible platform to challenge for the top job. Mr Burnham said he wanted to return to Westminster to "make politics work properly for people" after Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, announced he would resign his seat so Mr Burnham could "drive the change our country is crying out for". Sources said Mr Starmer does not plan to stand in the way of Mr…

Labour MPs from northwest England will gather amid rising speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham could seek to stand in a forthcoming Westminster by-election in Gorton and Denton — a move that would test the Prime Minister’s authority and reshape Labour’s internal dynamics. The meeting comes as party figures weigh whether Burnham, long viewed as a potential rival for the party leadership, will enter the race triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, the former MP for the Greater Manchester seat. Burnham…