Polls open in Makerfield by-election which could determine Starmer’s future
Sir Keir said on Wednesday he was willing to offer the Mayor of Greater Manchester a "big" job in his Government, should Mr Burnham win when Thursday’s votes are counted
A man puts up a "polling station" sign in the window front of a makeshift polling station at a parish centre in Winstanley, Wigan.
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Getty
Polls have opened in Makerfield, where voters are set to take part in what could be one of the most consequential by-elections in British political history. Andy Burnham is standing as Labour’s candidate in the Greater Manchester constituency with the hope of returning to Parliament to oust Sir Keir Starmer and replace him as Prime Minister.Sir Keir said on Wednesday he was willing to offer the Mayor of Greater Manchester a “big” job in his Government, should Mr Burnham win when Thursday’s votes are counted.But allies of Mr Burnham said he was not interested in the offer, insisting “the benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the Government’s failings”.Mr Burnham and his allies are reported to be hoping for a “coronation” in which Sir Keir stands aside, rather than a leadership contest, which they believe would be damaging to the Labour Party’s brand, according to the Times.But the Prime Minister has repeatedly made it clear he has no intention of standing down and says that he will fight any challenge to his leadership.Read More: Andy Burnham snubs Starmer's olive branch of 'big' government role ahead of Makerfield by-electionRead More: Starmer should quit after Makerfield by-election, Streeting says
Liberal Democrats - Jake AustinCount Binface Party - Count BinfaceLabour Co-op - Andy BurnhamLibertarian - Dan ClarkeIndependent - John DyerClimate - Ed GemmellIndependent - Paul GouldMonster Raving Loony - Howling Laud HopeReform - Robert KenyonIndependent - Robert PownallRestore Britain - Rebecca ShepherdRejoin EU - Peter WardGreen - Sarah WakefieldConservative - Michael Winstanley
Labour Party candidate Andy Burnham leaving the Community Sports Club in Makerfield last night.
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Alamy
According to the Guardian, several Cabinet ministers have had to be talked out of resigning early by Mr Burnham’s camp to prevent the Government descending into chaos ahead of the by-election.Burnham supporters within the Government had intended to quit early to pressure the Prime Minister into making way for his rival, the newspaper said.Wes Streeting, the former health secretary who resigned to launch a prospective Labour leadership bid, is said to have met Mr Burnham while campaigning in Makerfield on Monday, the Guardian also reported.A source told the newspaper that “no deals were done” as a result of the meeting.Sir Keir has said he plans to call Mr Burnham “after the weekend”.
A poster for the Reform UK party candidate, Rob Kenyon, is pictured in the window of a residential property, ahead of the Makerfield by-election.
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Getty
But the Prime Minister may face swift pressure to accept a leadership contest or stand down, as Mr Streeting has indicated he would be willing to trigger the race.Speaking in his final campaign event on Wednesday evening, Mr Burnham said that “change is coming” to Westminster as a result of the by-election.“This is a chance to vote for change, for change in politics, for change in our economy, to vote for people, to make life better for people,” he said, later adding: “It is a vote for Makerfield. It is a vote for hope.”Mr Burnham’s nearest competitor in Makerfield is Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which polls have suggested is losing voters to Restore Britain, a party to its right with a more hard-line approach to migration and other issues.
In his final message to voters, Mr Burnham urged them not to back Reform’s candidate Robert Kenyon, as he claimed the party’s victory could lead to a “darker and more divided politics”.“There is a path that carries on and makes Britain look more and more like the United States of America, and we do not, in my view, want to end up there, where people can’t talk to each other in the street. That’s not the Britain I know, and the Britain that I love, and that’s not the path that we should be taking,” Mr Burnham said.Makerfield is one of three parliamentary by-elections taking place on Thursday.The other two are in the Scottish seats of Aberdeen South, and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, where SNP MPs Stephen Gethins and Stephen Flynn have stood down after winning elections to the Scottish Parliament in May.
