The UK prime minister congratulated his rival on his victory in the Makerfield byelection. The scale of Andy Burnham’s win in what could be the most consequential byelection in more than six decades puts him in a strong position to challenge Starmer who is struggling with some of the worst popularity ratings of any British leader. The PM said he would stand in a Labour leadership contest should one be triggered, but that he did not ‘think that’s a good thing for the country’
Starmer says he ‘will stand’ in any Labour leadership contest after Burnham’s decisive byelection win – UK politics live ► https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/18/makerfield-byelection-keir-starmer-andy-burnham-robert-kenyon-labour-leadership-reform-aberdeen-arbroath-uk-politics-latest-news-updates
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