Andy Burnham has won the Makerfield byelection for Labour, gaining 55% of the vote on an exceptionally high turnout of 58.7%. He won 9,000 more votes than Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, in what turned out to be an unusual byelection swing to the party of government.
The scale of a result like this sends a message of its own to Reform UK, to Labour, and to the incumbent prime minister, Keir Starmer. But what can we make of Burnham’s message in his victory speech?
After thanking his opponents for the “civil debate,” Burnham began with a charge that politics is not working. “Everyone can feel the country isn’t where it should be,” he said, adding, “Tonight could – just could – be the turning point.”
A recurring theme was hope for the future. Campaign material urged voters to “Vote Andy. Vote Hope”. The emphasis on hope could be read as a rebuke to both Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Starmer for his unfulfilled promises in government, and Farage for his divisive rhetoric in opposition.
Another key message was change. On the eve of the election, Burnham emphasised “a chance to vote for change. For change in politics. For change in our economy.”
Burnham told the packed conference centre in Wigan that “this borough … made a loud cry for change” in the May elections, when Reform UK took all eight council wards in the Makerfield constituency. He told the audience that the message on doorsteps was that “there will be no second chance” for Labour to bring such change.
Burnham’s campaign material called for voters to “change Labour”, using imagery that evoked the northern soul movement. The same material urged people to stay hopeful, and to “keep the faith”. Meanwhile, Burnham’s victory speech promised fresh hope for his new constituency.
A short congratulatory message on X from Starmer welcomed “Labour’s new MP for Makerfield”, stating that: “Voters chose Labour’s campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate.”
But in the speech itself, Burnham did not mention Labour by name. This detail was picked up on by Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice, who argued that the byelection result was a vote to get Starmer out of Number 10.
Burnham instead spoke of hope as his value, not Labour’s. He referred to “my own party” being in need of change, and to “Westminster” having neglected the north and a broader swath of English cities.
The importance of place
Burnham has been described as using a local lens to inform a national vision, arguably through a nostalgic view of the north of England. The victory speech played to that approach. The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester argued that politics “at the national level” had to change “in order that all English cities be what they can be”.
He praised Makerfield for having “shone in the world’s spotlight” during the campaign. Makerfield, Burnham argued, would become synonymous with bringing about much-needed change throughout the UK.
Crucially, he also spoke of a “Makerfield test” at the heart of British politics, which would “ensure the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness”. It remains to be seen exactly what this test will look like but it may reflect the “Manchesterism” – the idea that the rest of the UK can learn from the city’s rapid economic rise – with which Burnham aimed to inspire change.
He spoke warmly of his nine years as mayor, praising the area for all it had given to him. He added that he would always take a “place-first, rather than a party-first” approach, prioritising “the north, and everywhere forgotten by Westminster”.
But what of Burnham’s approach to the Labour party? His victory speech made frequent reference to paths: “turning away from the path” to the “divided, dark politics” of today’s US, and putting the country “back on the right path”. A word like “path” implies a narrative and a clear direction, but also a future destination that may lie elsewhere.
Addressing the near-universal assumption that the byelection win will be a step towards a leadership challenge, Burnham said that Makerfield “will never be a stepping stone to me, but instead will be my touchstone”.
Senior Labour figures have been keen to stress that Burnham’s win is a victory for Labour. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, celebrated Burnham being “back in the top team, at the top table, helping to drive that change”.
But does a place in the team, helping to drive change, capture Burnam’s ambitions? His speech emphasised leading “by example, from the front”, and Burnham spoke of “my own party”, and of “unfinished business” back in Westminster.
Starmer has pledged to offer Burnham a cabinet post if he won in Makerfield. Like Nandy, Starmer has said he hopes Burnham will play a big part in the Labour government. Burnham has the same idea – but his vision entails a bigger job than Starmer would like.
