Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election
The Mayor of Greater Manchester took the seat with over 24,000 votes
Last updated 21 hours ago
Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election, returning to Parliament after more than a decade away.
Burnham took 24,937 votes, beating Reform UK's Robert Kenyon into second place on 15,696 votes.
The by-election was triggered when sitting MP Josh Simons resigned his seat on 14th May specifically to allow Burnham to stand.
What Burnham said
Mr Burnham told party supporters the result was Labour's "last chance" to change.
What happens next
Having won the seat, Burnham is now required to step down as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
A mayoral by-election is expected to be required within 35 working days of the office becoming vacant - meaning Greater Manchester voters could be heading back to the polls within months.
Burnham is widely expected to mount a challenge to Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, though he has not yet formally declared his intentions.
Who is Andy Burnham?
Burnham, who grew up in Leigh - close to the Makerfield constituency - first entered Parliament in 2001 as MP for Leigh.
He served in government under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, holding senior cabinet positions including Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Secretary of State for Health.
He stood twice for the Labour leadership - finishing fourth in 2010 and runner-up to Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
In 2017, he left Westminster to become the first directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, a role in which he built a national profile championing the North of England and overseeing major transport and public health policy.