Andy Burnham has been declared the winner of the Makerfield by-election, returning to Parliament for the Labour and Co-operative Party. The returning officer confirmed that he had been duly elected as the constituency's new member of Parliament. The result followed a long count that stretched into the early hours.
According to the official figures, Burnham took 24,927 votes in the contest. Reform UK's candidate, Rob Kenyon, finished in second place with 15,696 votes, giving Burnham a majority of 9,231. The Conservative Party candidate trailed well behind with 997 votes, alongside several smaller candidates.
Turnout in the by-election was described as high for this kind of contest, at around 58 percent. The returning officer said the electorate stood at 77,462, with 45,510 ballot papers issued. Officials noted that a turnout above 40 percent is considered strong for a by-election, making the level of participation here notable.
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour's Josh Simons earlier this year. He had held the seat with a majority of 5,399 at the 2024 general election. Burnham, who stepped away from Westminster in 2017, contested the seat while also serving as the mayor of Greater Manchester.
During the campaign, Burnham made an optimistic pitch to voters and was open about wanting to take on Reform UK directly. He argued that Labour needed a different approach to the issues the party has been campaigning on, and supporters framed the contest as far bigger than a single seat. Reform UK had pushed hard in the constituency and ended up as the runner-up.
The outcome is widely seen as significant for the national political picture. Figures around Burnham have argued that he is positioned to challenge the way Labour confronts Reform UK, and the win immediately fed into questions about the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Around 100 Labour MPs had earlier signalled unease about the direction of the party.
With the seat now back in Labour hands, attention turns to what Burnham does next at Westminster. Commentators said he was expected to take his seat in the coming days. His return sets up a new dynamic within the party, as Labour weighs how to respond to the pressure from Reform UK and to the debate over its own leadership.