Date confirmed for Makerfield by-election as Andy Burnham seeks return to Westminster

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The contest was triggered last Thursday by the resignation of sitting Labour MP Josh Simons, who stood aside to clear a path to Parliament for Andy Burnham.

If he returns to Westminster, Mr Burnham is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, but the Prime Minister has insisted he will not “walk away” from Downing Street.

The Manchester Mayor was selected as the Labour candidate for the seat on Tuesday, having been blocked by Labour's National Executive Committee from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year.

It is understood that the Greater Manchester mayor was the only person shortlisted for selection in Makerfield by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, bypassing a vote by the local party.

Read more: Reform chooses plumber as candidate for Makerfield by-election

Read more: Will Andy Burnham be able to beat Reform in Makerfield? What the data shows

It comes as Wes Streeting told Parliament today that unless the Labour Government changes course “we risk handing the keys of No 10 to Reform”.

He delivered his resignation speech in the Commons on Wednesday after quitting as health secretary last week, calling on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to step down.

Mr Streeting said: “I left the Government because we are in the fight of our lives against nationalism, and it is a fight that we are currently losing.

“Unless we change course, we risk handing the keys of No 10 to Reform, and I do not want that on our consciences.”

Nigel Farage has pitched the by-election as a "David and Goliath" battle between Reform and Labour. The seat, which heavily voted to Leave in the 2016 EU referendum, currently has a 5,399 Labour majority.

Reform's candidate Robert Kenyon, who is a local plumber, ran in the 2024 election and finished in second place with nearly 32 per cent of the vote.

Nigel Farage said: “This is ‘the plucky plumber’ taking on ‘open borders Burnham’. Only Reform UK can beat Labour in this by-election.”

Mr Burnham said he was "proud and humbled" to have been selected as Labour’s candidate for Makerfield.

He wrote in a statement on X: "These proud working-class communities represent the very best values of our country and they deserve so much better. It would be my honour to work for them every day, if elected as their MP, to achieve that.

"Many people here feel Westminster isn’t working for them and they are right. I am standing to change that and get the voice of these communities heard loud and clear."

Mr Burnham used a campaign video in which he simultaneously set out t

In the video, soundtracked by a series of Manchester bands including Elbow, James and Oasis, Mr Burnham said he wanted “a new path for Britain”.

Earlier this week, Wes Streeting thrust Brexit to the centre of the leadership speculation, stating he would seek a mandate to bring Britain back into the EU.

The former health secretary and leadership hopeful said leaving the EU was a “catastrophic mistake", adding that Britain needed a new “special relationship” with the EU, because "Britain’s future lies with Europe, and one day back in the European Union".

Mr Burnham, who previously said he would like the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime - has sought to reassure voters in the Leave-supporting Makerfield constituency that he is not seeking to reverse the result of the 2016 referendum.

If Mr Burnham wins the vote on June 18 Mr Streeting will have the means to mount a challenge to Sir Keir Starmer for party leadership.

To do this, he would need to receive backing from 81 Labour MPs to put a vote to party members, which could happen as soon as this autumn.

Mr Streeting also insisted he did have enough support among MPs to trigger a contest, but suggested his challenge would "lack legitimacy" without rival Mr Burnham being given a chance to return to Parliament.

Sir Keir has insisted he is “focused on the job” of governing and at a Downing Street reception for homelessness charities on Tuesday talked up the Government’s record on renters’ rights reforms as an example of “ripping up the failed status quo”, avoiding any mention of the turmoil engulfing the party in recent days.