UK Politics: Andy Burnham Wins Makerfield Parliamentary Seat | WION

[00:00:00]Well, US-Iran technical talks collapse as Lebanon heats up. JD Vance counsels regional travel amid escalation. So, the question is, has US mediation fatigue reached to its peak after loss of control over sequencing?

[00:00:16]Now, onto the United Kingdom. Veteran Labour politician Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield parliamentary by-election, clearing a major hurdle for an expected challenge for the Labour leadership. Burnham's victory comes summit growing impatience with UK Prime Minister Starmer. Dozens of Labour MPs have called on Starmer to quit, and several ministers have resigned as national surveys suggest Reform is set to win the next general election expected in 2029.

[00:00:46]The resounding nature of Burnham's win is likely to heighten pressure on Starmer to step down. But, the Prime Minister has vowed to fight any leadership challenge.

[00:00:57]The 56-year-old Burnham is long-time figure in center-left Labour.

[00:01:03]>> And I say it again, it is our last chance to change, but we're going to take it, aren't we? We are going to take that opportunity, and we are going to lay out a new path for Britain.

[00:01:14]>> There isn't a leadership contest >> there is, is it going to be a Prime Minister >> 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's won, which is really important really good, he's a huge asset to us, but now will inevitably be a Manchester mayoralty by-election starting straight away. So, 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, I will stand, and I've said repeatedly, I'm not going to walk away from that.

[00:01:48]>> Now, Burnham is expected to challenge Starmer as party leader and Prime Minister, and needed to win the high-stakes vote to be in a position to trigger such a contest.

[00:01:59]Former Labour MP Jo Cox Simon stood down in Makerfield so that Burnham could try to return to Parliament and run for leader.

[00:02:07]He secured nearly 55% of the vote beating Reform UK's Robert Kenyon by more than 9,000 ballots. Turnout was a historical high 59%.

[00:02:19]Now Burnham, a former government minister who has been Greater Manchester mayor since 2017, he has also served as cultural and health secretary between 2008 to 2010.

[00:02:31]Now ensured his return to Parliament by easily beating the hard-right Reform UK Party's candidate in the Makerfield constituency in Northwest England.

[00:02:42]Service show that Burnham, even nicknamed the king of the north for winning three consecutive mayoral terms in Manchester, he is Labour's most popular politician and would likely win a direct vote against Starmer amongst the party membership.

[00:02:58]Burnham is due to be sworn in as a member of Parliament on Monday and under Labour Party rules, leadership candidates must be an MP.

[00:03:07]He will be able to easily muster the support of 81 of Labour's 400 plus MPs and this is the minimum needed to kickstart a contest.

[00:03:18]Now ex-health minister Wes Streeting from Labour's right wing has said that Starmer should be given space over the weekend to consider his future. If Starmer does leave office this year, then Britain will get its seventh prime minister in 10 years and fifth in under four years.

[00:03:39]And earlier on the broadcast, we were joined by our correspondent Stuart Smith from London. Here's what he said.

[00:03:47]>> Well, remember you just heard a Labour politician talking about a Labour government. This is someone that clearly wants the leadership of the country.

[00:03:56]It's not someone who's quite happy, as we heard earlier in the week, might be offered a cabinet position by Keir Starmer in order to try to stop any prospect of a leadership competition. At the same time, Keir Starmer has repeated once again he would not stand aside and he would fight. So, Andy Burnham's hope that the Prime Minister would be convinced to leave, perhaps by senior cabinet ministers, as the right thing to do to avoid a divisive, drawn-out competition, that might not be happening either. Though, over the next 72 hours, we could start to see that shift change.

[00:04:28]So, for now it looks like a leadership competition might be on the cards. That would be Andy Burnham's second hurdle.

[00:04:34]Having won this election, albeit with a very high percentage of the vote, 55% to the 35% of the runner-up, that is a sign that voters there at least want something to change. Now, Keir Starmer has knocked this back a bit, suggesting that voters at that by-election were campaigning were voting for Labour's politics of hope, not Reform UK. So, he's saying that's an endorsement of Labour more than Andy Burnham, but clearly the former mayor of Manchester is trying to say that this was a vote for him and the right thing for Keir Starmer to do is to move aside.

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