Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election and sets up Labour war to give Keir Starmer the boot

Turnout increased in the seat compared to the General Election, rising to 58.8 per cent.

Second in the vote was Reform UK's Robert Kenyon, who earned 15,696 votes.

And Restore Britain's Rebecca Shepherd took in 3,111 votes, at 6.8 per cent of the total vote.

Mr Burnham's margin of victory was greater than Restore's final share, despite fears of Restore "splitting the vote" being raised during the campaign.

Restore leader Rupert Lowe said votes did not "belong" to any party as counting was underway.

The Conservatives received fewer than 1,000 votes, with the Greens, and Liberal Democrats receiving less than 500 - collectively earning no more than three per cent of the total vote.

And the new MP's victory speech - briefly delayed by protests from fellow candidates - detailed his hopes for Britain as he returns to the Commons.

Andy Burnham said he would take a 'place-first rather than a party-first approach'

REUTERS

Mr Burnham told constituents his Makerfield seat would serve not as a "stepping stone" to becoming the Prime Minister.

He said: "It will never be a stepping stone to me, but instead will be my touchstone. A Makerfield test at the heart of British politics will ensure the places Westminster has neglected will now get fairness."

On the campaign trail, he made his pitch to voters without Labour branding - instead, placards simply featured his name.

In his speech, he said would always take a "place-first rather than a party-first approach" to politics.

But he also risked a row with the US President, who he will have to meet if he enters Downing Street.

He added the result would mean "turning away from the path that takes us to a divided, dark politics of the kind we see in the United States".

After his speech, he quickly entered his car with wife and daughter, not speaking to reporters - saying he was instead going to go for a pint.

His Makerfield seat had been vacated by Josh Simons last month to allow Mr Burnham's return to Westminster.

The pair were seen hugging as the Greater Manchester Mayor arrived at The Edge in Wigan for the results.

The heavily-contested seat was contested by 14 candidates, with talks of Labour's quiet confidence long before the declaration.

Reform UK's Robert Kenyon earned 15,969 votes

REUTERS

Mr Burnham's victory runs counter to Labour's local elections wipeout - including in Wigan, where Reform UK won 24 of 25 seats up for grabs.

Culture Secretary and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy said she imagined the Prime Minister would reach out to Mr Burnham by the early morning for a conversation if he won the seat.

She said it was important to "understand the significance of what has just happened here" and learn from the result - even before it was counted.

Ms Nandy told GB News the "historic win" would earn Mr Burnham "a very loud voice at the top of national politics".

Mr Burnham has long vowed to pitch into a leadership battle if he returned to Westminster.

But his supporters hope the Prime Minister will simply quit rather than fight on to save his premiership.

Andy Burnham quickly left the vote count after his speech with wife Marie-France Van Heel and daughter Rosie

PA

One, Jess Phillips, last night called for Sir Keir to be given the chance for a “dignified exit”.

And former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, said she hoped the Prime Minister would "consider an orderly and managed transition".

Even before the vote, the new Makerfield MP and his allies were reported to be hoping for a “coronation”.

They think a contest would be damaging to Labour’s brand.

His team had to talk several ministers down from resigning early to prevent the Government descending into chaos ahead of the by-election.

But the Prime Minister had long vowed not to walk away from No10.

Andy Burnham won by a margin of over 9,000 votes

PA

He is said to have assembled significant funds to back a campaign to fight any leadership challenge, according to The Times.

He has the backing of a group of private donors, with fundraising having ramped up in the last two days and total pledges running into six figures, sources said.

Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also said he would challenge the Prime Minister.

Other names floated in a potential leadership contest include Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband and Al Carns.

Mr Burnham has previously served in Labour cabinets and has twice contested leadership elections.

After a Cabinet reshuffle in 2008, he became Culture Secretary under Gordon Brown, and the next year he became the Health Secretary.

He then contested his first leadership contest which was eventually won by Ed Miliband - whose Shadow Cabinet he served in as Shadow Education Secretary.

He would again attempt to be Labour leader in 2015, but would lose out to Jeremy Corbyn.

He then served as Shadow Home Secretary, but resigned in 2017 to stand as Greater Manchester Mayor, a role created for the new combined authority.