LAST UPDATE | 19 Jun

ANDY BURNHAM’S ALLIES believe British prime minister Keir Starmer should set out a timetable to hand over the premiership in September to avoid jeopardising Labour’s prospects in the Greater Manchester mayoral race, it is understood.

Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield byelection has set up a battle for No 10 as Starmer made clear he will fight any challenge to his position earlier today.

Burnham defeated Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon after a campaign that evolved into one of the most consequential byelections in recent British political history. He won almost 25,000 votes, beating Kenyon by more than 9,000 votes.

It’s understood supporters close to the outgoing Greater Manchester mayor are not seeking an immediate transfer of power as they want time to prepare for governing in the event that he succeeds in ousting Starmer.

Burnham’s election as the MP for Makerfield means he is giving up the mayoral role he has held since 2017, with a contest to replace him set for 30 July.

Reform UK, who made sweeping gains in the area at May’s local elections, and the Greens, who won the Gorton and Denton byelection in February, will both be hoping to win over voters in the traditional Labour stronghold.

Labour, which will announce its candidate on 26 June, has already sought to cast the contest as a two-horse race with Reform, with a source saying the Green Party “can’t win”.

Allies of Burnham are understood to want Starmer to set out a timetable to depart in September over the coming days, with some believing the mayoral race would be harder for the party to win with no prospect of a change in leader.

Starmer ‘not going to walk away’

But speaking to reporters at an event in London this morning, Starmer insisted he will not “walk away” from Downing Street, setting Labour up for a showdown over the premiership.

BREAKING: Sir Keir Starmer has said he "will stand" in any Labour leadership contest should one be triggered, adding he will not "walk away"https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/PxM8U5MjOb

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 19, 2026

“If there is a contest, then yes, I will stand. I have said repeatedly, I am not going to walk away from that.”

The British prime minister said he had not yet directly spoken with Burnham since his victory, but added that he will, and had already sent a message of congratulations to him.

In a lunchtime call with Labour staffers, he called for the party to “pull together” in taking the fight to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and warned against “turning on each other”.

He said: “The one thing we’ve got to avoid doing is plunging our party and our country into chaos by turning on each other and tearing apart our party and our movement.

“That has never worked. That’s what the last government did. We need to learn that lesson.”

Starmer is understood to have amassed a war chest to fund his campaign to fight any leadership challenge with the backing of a group of private donors, as first reported by The Times.

Fundraising has ramped up in the last two days with total pledges running into six figures, sources said.

Burnham says byelection ‘the change moment’

Speaking at a victory rally this morning, Burnham described his victory as “the change moment”.

It is our last chance to change, but we’re going to take it, aren’t we? We are going to take that opportunity and we are going to lay out a new path for Britain.

He added: “We’ve been on a path for 40 years that simply hasn’t worked for people and places in this part of the world, and this now is the change moment.

“We have an opportunity to turn the tide, to make the country feel like it’s working again, to make people see that politics can make a positive difference, to make people feel hope again.”

The contest was closely watched because a Burnham victory is expected to strengthen his position as a potential future Labour leader, while defeat would have raised fresh questions about Starmer’s grip on the party.

Burnham made no secret of his ambition to challenge Starmer for the Labour leadership, and therefore the job of prime minister, if he won the seat.

Speaking after the result was announced on Thursday night, he said Labour had a “final chance to change”.

🚨 WATCH: Andy Burnham's Makerfield victory speech in full

"I say this to my party… This is a final chance to change" pic.twitter.com/yVZPI692sU

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 19, 2026

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“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”

In an attempt at addressing the assertion that he was only seeking to become Makerfield’s MP to further his own ambitions, he said: “It will never be a stepping stone to me, but instead will be my touchstone.

“A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will make sure that the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness.”

UK culture secretary minister Lisa Nandy said she wanted Burnham “back at the top table”.

“What Andy’s shown here is that there is something that he brings, a willingness to go out and fight for the change that people need, to take on any system and any person who stands in the way and to be bold and to wear his heart on his sleeve, and people have responded,” Nandy said.

“I think that with him back in the top team, at the top table, helping to drive that change, I think we’ll be in a really strong position.”

The result is also likely to spark debate on the British right, where Reform UK’s challenge was complicated by the presence of Rupert Lowe’s rival party, Restore Britain.

Polling during the campaign suggested the insurgent movement was drawing support from voters who might otherwise have backed Reform, raising concerns about a split right-wing vote – though even the two parties’ combined vote numbered less than Burnham’s tally.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Taoiseach Micheál Martin congratulated Burnham on the byelection result.

“I know Andy, I’ve met him on a number of occasions. He has taken a particular interest in Ireland, and he’s come to see us on a number of occasions, particularly on economy, and in respect of his role as a mayor in Manchester, he was particularly focused on Irish economic policy and development,” Martin said.

“It was a solid victory in the byelection, which shows what’s possible, despite all of the fragmentation and challenges of modern politics. He campaigned well and effectively.”

With reporting from Jane Moore and Press Association