{"id":850,"date":"2026-06-18T04:37:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T04:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=850"},"modified":"2026-06-18T04:37:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T04:37:53","slug":"a-special-election-in-the-uk-could-hasten-the-rise-of-andy-burnham-and-the-end-for-keir-starmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=850","title":{"rendered":"A special election in the UK could hasten the rise of Andy Burnham and the end for Keir Starmer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LONDON (AP) \u2014 Keir Starmer<\/span> isn\u2019t on the ballot, but the U.K. prime minister\u2019s future is on the line in a special election on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Read more Taiwan needs US weapons for self-defense as threat from China grows, diplomat tells AP<\/a><\/p>\n

Voters in the Makerfield district<\/span> of northwest England are electing a new lawmaker, and the leading contender is Andy Burnham<\/span> of the governing Labour Party, the current mayor of Greater Manchester and oddsmakers\u2019 favorite to be the next prime minister.<\/p>\n

If Burnham defeats a candidate from the anti-immigration party Reform UK<\/span> and wins the seat for Labour, he\u2019s almost certain to challenge the embattled Starmer for leadership of the party, and the country.<\/p>\n

Burnham has pledged that \u201cif people put their trust in me, I will change politics\u201d \u2014 a big promise for a politician who, if he wins, will be just one of 650 lawmakers in the House of Commons. <\/p>\n

But the scores of journalists from around the world who have flocked to Makerfield during the campaign are evidence that this is no normal by-election, the results of which are due early Friday.<\/p>\n

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Starmer struggles since landslide win<\/h2>\n

About 75,000 people are eligible to vote in Makerfield, a constituency that encompasses several towns and villages on the edge of Greater Manchester, 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London.<\/p>\n

They hold in their hands the fate of Starmer, whose popularity has cratered since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory<\/span> in July 2024.<\/p>\n

Starmer\u2019s government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services<\/span> and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps<\/span>, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson<\/span>, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as the U.K. ambassador to the United States.<\/p>\n

A dismal performance<\/span> in May\u2019s local elections spurred scores of Labour lawmakers to demand Starmer\u2019s resignation. He has refused to budge, but senior colleagues are trying to force a change. Wes Streeting<\/span> resigned as health secretary in May, saying that \u201cwhere we need vision, we have a vacuum.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Then Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for Makerfield, stepped down to trigger a special election and give Burnham the chance to return to Parliament.<\/p>\n

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Britain\u2019s parliamentary system allows governing parties to change leader midterm, with the winner becoming prime minister without the need for a national election. Under Labour rules, a lawmaker can challenge the leader if they have backing from a fifth of the party\u2019s House of Commons lawmakers \u2014 a number that stands at 81.<\/p>\n

Streeting said Tuesday that he hopes Starmer will agree to step down, but that if he doesn\u2019t, \u201cthere will need to be a contest, and I would be prepared to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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