Andy Burnham confirmed as Labour candidate for Makerfield by-election
Burnham will be on the ballot
Andy Burnham has been confirmed as the Labour Party’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election.
This comes following a decision from the Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) selecting Burnham to contest the seat.
The Makerfield by-election was triggered by the resignation of the Labour MP Josh Simons. Simons resigned in order to enable Burnham to return to the House of Commons and challenge for the Labour leadership.
The NEC has said that no candidate but Burnham was shortlisted for the by-election.
At the 2024 general election, Labour won Makerfield with 45 per cent of the vote. The party held a more than 5,000 vote majority over second-placed Reform.
However, since then Reform has risen substantially in the polls. In the 2026 local elections, Reform won every single council ward that makes up the Makerfield constituency.
If Burnham wins the by-election, it is widely believed that he would be very likely the next prime minister of the UK as he is likely to challenge Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party and would be well placed to win that contest.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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