KEIR Starmer has said he "will stand" in a Labour leadership contest should one be triggered, following Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election.
The Greater Manchester mayor saw off a challenge from Reform’s Robert Kenyon, winning 24,927 votes (54.8%) compared to Kenyon's 15,696 votes (34.5%).
Burnham had already made clear his intention to challenge Starmer for the premiership in the event of being elected, and said in his victory speech that it represented a "turning point" for British politics.
The Prime Minister offered Burnham a short congratulations on social media, writing on Twitter/X early on Friday morning: "Congratulations [Andy Burnham], Labour's new MP for Makerfield.
"Voters chose Labour's campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate."
Congratulations, @AndyBurnhamGM, Labour’s new MP for Makerfield. Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 19, 2026
And at around 10am on Friday, Starmer insisted that he will not "walk away" from his position.
He was seen visiting a housing development in north London alongside Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, after the BBC reported he left No 10 via the back door, dodging journalists.
Starmer said that he has not "spoken to Andy directly yet, but I will", adding that he has "sent my congratulations".
Speaking to reporters, Starmer said: “If there is a contest, then yes, I will stand. I have said repeatedly, I am not going to walk away from that.”
The Prime Minister said that he was focusing on “what I was elected to do, which is to serve my country.”
He said: “We had a mandate two years ago to carry out change, and we’ve done incredible things."
Starmer added that "there's more to do" and that he was focused on "what I was elected to do, which is to serve my country".
