By Clare Sebastian, CNN
(CNN) — UK politician Andy Burnham could now challenge British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership of the governing Labour Party, and the country, having resoundingly won the election as the Member of Parliament for Makerfield.
Thursday’s by-election – the equivalent of a special election in the US – was triggered with the sole purpose of providing a path to 10 Downing Street for Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester who is widely seen as the Labour politician best placed to unseat the embattled Prime Minister.
In the early hours of Friday morning, with all votes counted, that risk paid off, and the UK government now enters a new period of uncertainty as Burnham plots his next move.
“Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could just be the turning point,” Burnham said after results were announced, adding that it was a “chance to build a new politics built on unity and hope.”
“This result will bring about a country that works fairly for everywhere and for everybody,” he said.
Burnham, a former cabinet minister, now re-enters parliament at a pivotal moment for his party. Since winning a landslide victory in 2024 that ushered in the first Labour government in the UK in 14 years, the center-left party under Starmer has suffered a precipitous drop in popularity. This culminated in devastating losses in local council elections in early May, with the populist right-wing Reform UK party seeing massive gains.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Race for UK leadership looms after Prime Minister Starmer’s main rival Burnham wins seat in parliament News Channel 3-12.
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