If you aren't up to speed on all things UK politics, you might be wondering why so much fuss is being kicked up about a local election in the north-east of the country. Essentially, it's drawing headlines as former MP and current mayor of the area, Andy Burnham, is looking to use the election as a way to officially kickstart his campaign to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the role as head of the labour party. It's effectively the next step in this major unseating of power, and one that is being met with a great deal of support from voters.
The Makerfield by-election happened yesterday and the votes have come in and seen Burnham win the poll by a considerable margin. As per the Wigan Council, Burnham secured almost 25,000 votes, which is well over half of the total votes on offer, and nearly 10,000 more than second-placing Reform UK representative Rob Kenyon managed. This means Burnham has been elected as the MP for the area.
Speaking about this result, Burnham talked briefly where he mentioned (as per BBC News) that this was a "turning point" for the UK and that it now provides Labour with a "final chance to change" and get itself ready for the next general election, and to also put Burnham in prime running position should Starmer even step down from the Prime Minister role.
As for the rest of the results from the by-election, Restore Britain saw strong interest, the Conservatives dropped significantly to below 1,000 votes, the Green Party came in above the Liberal Democrats, and the top independent party led by space politician Count Binface came in closely behind with 95 votes.