AKP Phnom Penh, 19 June, 2026--
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham won a parliamentary by-election in the northwestern English constituency of Makerfield, according to results released early Friday, paving the way for his return to parliament and a possible bid for the Labour Party leadership.

Voters went to polling stations throughout Thursday. Official results showed Burnham, standing for the governing Labour Party, secured victory with 24,937 votes over Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon with 15,696 votes, Restore Britain candidate Rebecca Shepherd with 3,111 votes and Conservative candidate Michael Winstanley with 997 votes.

Widely seen as a potential challenger to Prime Minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer, Burnham said during a television debate earlier this month that he would seek to enter any potential Labour leadership contest, should he win the by-election.

Under Labour Party rules, he will now need the support of 81 Labour Members of Parliament, including himself, to mount a challenge.

Burnham first entered parliament in 2001 and went on to serve in several senior Labour positions. He unsuccessfully contested the party leadership in 2010 and 2015, before leaving the parliament in 2017 to become the mayor of Greater Manchester.

AKP-Xinhua