How can Andy Burnham become prime minister and what comes next for Britain?

How can Andy Burnham become prime minister and what comes next for Britain? Submitted by Imran Mulla on Fri, 06/19/2026 - 11:04 Former Greater Manchester mayor's victory in the Makerfield by-election could have monumental consequences for the country New Labour MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham speaks to supporters and members of the media on the morning after his by-election victory, 19 June 2026 (AFP) Off Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has become MP for Makerfield and is now the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister.  His seismic victory in the northern seat in the early hours of Friday will have major consequences for the country. Burnham, often called the "King of the North", has bucked all the trends. Just last month, Nigel Farage's Reform UK party won big in Makerfield, a largely working-class seat, in the local elections. Labour trailed 20 percentage points behind the right-wing party. Stunningly, however, Burnham won the by-election with 55 percent of the vote, trouncing Reform, which came a distant second on 35 percent.  Reform has now lost not one but two crucial by-elections this year, after coming in second to the Greens in Gorton and Denton in February. This will deal a serious blow to the idea, which Reform has sought to project, that a Farage government is inevitable, or even particularly likely. Some pollsters have predicted that Burnham as prime minister would boost Labour's support by several percentage points. Others have suggested the change would be more modest and that Labour would still trail Reform. Makerfield by-election: This may finally be the end for Starmer Read More » Burnham is highly popular within the parliamentary Labour Party. Many MPs now see him as Labour's best hope. So what happens next? According to Labour rules, Burnham could challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer with the backing of 81 Labour MPs and 5 percent of local Labour branches or three party-affiliated groups, including at least two unions.  The contest would then go to a vote of party members. Burnham could also secure a "coronation" if Starmer resigns.  However, Burnham's campaign team have reportedly been talking ministers out of resigning to pressurise Starmer to step down. Instead, he wishes to give Starmer the chance to set out a timetable for his departure.  The Guardian quoted a senior campaign figure as saying: "If they’re trying to force Keir’s hand with a kamikaze approach it will ultimately be counterproductive." Manchesterism If Starmer steps down, Burnham could be prime minister within weeks. But the prime minister is understood to be intent on clinging to his position and is reportedly even prepared to fight a leadership challenge.  Few in Westminster truly believe, however, that he can survive. He is widely seen as a dead man walking.  A full contest, which would likely be accelerated and could last just weeks, is also possible between Burnham, Starmer and former Health Secretary Wes Streeting. Streeting's allies have said he has the backing of more than the required 81 MPs, but polling has shown he is unpopular among Labour members - even compared to Starmer. Burnham is seen as being on the soft left of the party. He is often characterised as a political chameleon who has changed his positions dramatically over the years. But as the highly popular mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham and his allies promoted a political philosophy called "Manchesterism", which he is now proposing for the country at large. Manchesterism is defined by a more interventionist approach to the economy - not socialist, but much bolder than Starmer's vision. In Burnham's own words, it is a "modern and functional response to the high-inequality, low-growth trap that came from the 1980s drive to privatise economic power and overcentralise political power in the Treasury". He has already said he wants to bring water and energy into public control. Labour vs the Greens vs Reform There are question marks, however, over which version of Burnham will turn up as prime minister. In his by-election campaign, he suggested he would retain elements of Starmer's approach. In particular, he signalled he would stick with the government's drive to drastically reduce immigration. This forms part of an effort to back voters who have gone to Reform. But it will be seized on as a point of attack by the left-wing Green Party, which has surged in the polls under Starmer. While the Greens won a vanishingly small 0.7 percent of the vote share in Makerfield, they have never performed well in the constituency. The Greens fought a lacklustre campaign, with their focus firmly on the upcoming Manchester mayoral race instead, where they think they have a serious chance of winning.  In local elections last month, the Greens inflicted far more damage on the Labour vote than Reform. Burnham and his team will be acutely aware of that. Some of his economic policies may win over voters who have recently turned away from Labour and towards the Greens. The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, joined the growing number of voices calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Burnham issued a statement expressing his deep concern at events in the Middle East pic.twitter.com/pBRhglcdJv — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 27, 2023 One crucial issue on which the Greens are seeking to fight Burnham, aside from immigration, is foreign policy.  Mothin Ali, co-deputy leader of the party, criticised Burnham on Friday morning for his approach to immigration and his refusal during the campaign to label Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide.  In the Makerfield by-election, Burnham was highly reticent to speak about foreign policy. According to sources within Labour, he and his team believed it would not help him win in Makerfield. However, Burnham will now be forced to turn seriously to the topic of foreign policy if he wants to appeal to the Labour membership, who overwhelmingly support stronger policies on Israel.  He will also be keen to respond to the Green insurgency and win back left-wing voters. This could mean a much stronger response to Israeli war crimes in a bid to inject new meaning and purpose into the Labour government, while trying to take the wind out of the Green Party's sails. Events will move fast over the coming week. At this stage, little is clear. Will Burnham swiftly become prime minister? Will there be a drawn out leadership contest? Will Starmer finally realise his time is up? Whatever happens, the British political landscape is sure to be fundamentally reshaped yet again. UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0