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Makerfield by-Election Result as Burnham Storms to Victory
Burnham won with 24,927 votes as turnout reached 58.75%, and the result opens a July race to replace him as Greater Manchester mayor.
On Friday, June 19, 2026, Andy Burnham won the Makerfield parliamentary by-election with 24,927 votes, securing his return to Westminster after leaving local office.
Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon finished second with 15,696 votes, while Restore Britain's Rebecca Shepherd took third with 3,111 votes in a contest drawing 45,476 total ballots.
Turnout reached 58.70% of the electorate, with Burnham declaring in his victory speech that Labour had a "final chance to change" and there would "be no second chance."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer congratulated the new MP on X, writing: "Voters chose Labour's campaign of hope and optimism over division and hate."
Burnham's victory necessitates his resignation as Mayor of Greater Manchester, with a mayoral contest scheduled for July to elect his replacement; speculation mounts over a potential move into Number 10.