Andy Burnham Archives - Page 2 of 7

Andy Burnham wields the knife, and wins the crown

Andy Burnham’s sensational victory in the Makerfield by-election rendered untenable the continuation of Keir Starmer’s premiership. The prime minister, to his credit, left his Downing Street bunker on Monday morning and bowed to the inevitable. Starmer’s strained insistence that he would, in the words of another outgoing prime minister, “fight on” and “fight to win” […]

Wes Streeting abandons leadership bid and backs Burnham

Wes Streeting has rallied behind Andy Burnham and abandoned his leadership bid in a sensational statement. Streeting previously vowed to run in a contest to replace Starmer, having resigned as health secretary at the peak of Labour’s leadership crisis in May 2026. In a statement, Streeting said Burnham had shown “what Labour can be when […]

Andy Burnham and the meaning of Makerfield

The news that Andy Burnham would stand as the MP for Makerfield was received with some surprise. In the throes of Labour’s May 2026 crisis, following the disastrous local and devolved parliament elections, commentators questioned his choice of constituency. Burnham’s ambition, of course, was never in doubt – nor was the national executive committee’s rapid […]

Andy Burnham storms to victory in Makerfield by-election

Andy Burnham has secured a comfortable victory in the highly anticipated Makerfield by-election, winning more than 50% of the vote. Burnham will now return to parliament after months of speculation over his political future and resign his position as mayor of Greater Manchester. The by-election will also pile pressure on Keir Starmer, the prime minister, […]

Patrick Gordon Walker’s 1965 defeat is a cautionary tale for Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham’s sensational announcement that he will once again seek a return to parliament sealed a day of immense political drama. The move marks Burnham’s second attempt at a parliamentary comeback, after Labour’s national executive committee (NEC), Starmer-in-council, thwarted his prospective candidacy for the February 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election. That contest proceeded without Burnham […]

Blocking Burnham will not stop the psychodrama

There are at least two ostensible explanations for the Labour national executive committee’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election. The official narrative was delivered in the form of a lengthy press notice this afternoon. The “statement from the Labour Party” explained that Burnham’s candidacy would have precipitated an […]

Week-in-Review: Starmer and Badenoch repel their pretenders – for now

It took the power of Andy Burnham’s example to tame Robert Jenrick. Expectations heading into the Conservative Party’s annual conference suggested the shadow justice secretary would continue to strut his stuff in front of his activist admirers. But Jenrick, by his usual insubordinate standards, was a model of servility. For this, Kemi Badenoch likely has […]

Back electoral reform to embed ‘progressive majority’ and thwart Farage, Starmer urged

Keir Starmer has been urged to throw his support behind some form of proportional representation (PR) in order to embed Britain’s “progressive majority”. Paul Sweeney, member of the Scottish parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region, warned that without electoral reform, the country could face a “horrendous scenario” leading to the “extinction of the United Kingdom”. […]

Andy Burnham criticises ‘climate of fear’ in Labour with vow to continue ‘debate’

Andy Burnham has vowed to continue the debate he has instigated over the direction of the Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership, in a direct response to his internal critics. In his first major intervention at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Burnham criticised a “climate of fear” in the party, which he suggested had been […]