Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has issued a new statement amid growing calls for him to step aside, insisting he will not 'walk away' from his post. The statement comes after Andy Burnham, a favourite to replace Sir Keir, was declared the winner of the Makerfield parliamentary by-election on Friday morning, marking his return to Westminster after serving as Greater Manchester mayor for more than nine years.
Burnham's Victory and Leadership Ambitions
Mr Burnham had made his intentions to stand for Labour leader in any upcoming contest known during his campaign. Reports suggest the new Wigan MP is stopping short of formally challenging the PM in the hope that Sir Keir will step down first. However, hours after Mr Burnham's victory, Sir Keir spoke to reporters at an event in north west London, where he confirmed that he will fight any potential leadership challenge if a contest is triggered.
Starmer's Response
An election for a new party leader can be triggered if an MP manages to secure 81 nominations from other Labour MPs. If that were to happen, Sir Keir would automatically be entered into the contest, while any other MP wishing to stand would also need to secure the required number of nominations - 20 per cent of the standing MPs according to Labour's rules. Speaking to reporters, Sir Keir said: “If there is a contest, then yes, I will stand. I have said repeatedly, I am not going to walk away from that.”
The prime minister congratulated Mr Burnham on the win, before adding: “I think it’s further evidence, actually, if you look at it in the context of other by-elections, that the tide is turning on Reform, that they can’t now win by-elections. They’ve reached probably the peak of their support, it is going down. So, very good, congratulations to Andy Burnham, but actually the tide is turning on Reform as well, so this is really important in that respect.”
Plea for Unity
He told reporters: “There isn’t a leadership contest at the moment, there isn’t one at the moment, but as I’ve said on many, many occasions, I don’t think that’s a good thing for the country, to plunge us into chaos. I would also add that now that Andy has won which is really important, really good, he’s a huge asset to us, that now there will inevitably be a Manchester mayoralty by-election starting straight away. It’s important that we pull together for that, but if there is a contest, just to be clear with you, then yes, I will run.”
Earlier today, he posted a message on X congratulating Mr Burnham on his victory. “Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate,” he said.
Burnham's Warning to Labour
Mr Burnham defeated Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon by 9,231 votes, up from 5,399 in 2024, and Labour’s vote share increased by 9.61 per cent. In his victory speech he urged his party to act now, saying there would be no second chance. He said: “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”
In a direct message to Labour MPs he said: “I do say to my own party: this is a final chance to change. This is what people said directly to me on the hundreds of doorsteps that I stood on. We must hear it, we must act upon it and we must get it right. There will be no second chance.”
Mr Burnham gave up the Greater Manchester mayoralty by becoming Makerfield MP, winning the seat that was vacated by Josh Simons in order to allow him the chance of returning to Westminster and seek to become prime minister.
Background Pressure
Ahead of the by-election, Sir Keir warned Mr Burnham not to throw the country into “chaos” by launching a leadership challenge. Speaking to ITV's This Morning, he said: “I don’t think we should have a challenge, because I think it’ll throw the country into chaos. If there is a challenge, I will fight. I’m not going to walk away from this.” He added: “We won a landslide victory just two years ago with a clear mandate to change the country, that’s a five-year mandate.”
Sir Keir’s premiership has been under pressure since Labour’s crushing defeats in May’s local elections, which saw Reform UK make big gains across the country. Former health secretary Wes Streeting and ex-armed forces minister Al Carns have also signalled they would run in any contest to replace Sir Keir.
