ANDY Burnham has won the Makerfield by-election, securing a base from which he will seek to oust Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
The Greater Manchester Mayor saw off a challenge from Reform’s Robert Kenyon, whose campaign was marred by his sexist social media output and questions over his ability.
Burnham has already confirmed he would seek to challenge Starmer for the premiership if he was returned to the Commons.
Speaking at the count in Wigan, Burnham said he hoped the result would be a "turning point" and warned his party this was "a final chance to change".
Burnham said: "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.
“From here on I will give everything I have got to make it so. To ensure the name Makerfield is forever synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs.”
He added: "There will be no second chance."
Burnham took 24,937 votes to Kenyon's 15,696, which marked a 9.62% increase on Labour's previous result and taking more than half of all votes cast.
Rupert Lowe's far-right outfit Restore Britain came in third place with 6.84% while the Tories came fourth.
The former minister, who served under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017 but has been eyeing a Westminster comeback since Starmer’s government was plunged into chaos by the Peter Mandelson scandal.
The Prime Minister ensured Burnham was blocked from standing as the Labour candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, which was won handily by the Greens, but later allowed him a run in Makerfield, on the outskirts of Wigan.
Speaking before his election in the early hours of Friday morning, top Burnham ally Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, said Starmer should "consider an orderly and managed transition" in the event of a Labour victory in Makerfield.
She added: "It was quite clear , after the local elections, unfortunately he considered that business as usual would suffice.
“Andy has, potentially, shown tonight what a changed Labour Party can bring and how we can beat the rise of Reform because without that optimism and without that on the ballot paper then we will see a Reform prime minister at the next General Election.
