Andy Burnham has been confirmed as the candidate to stand in the Makerfield by-election, Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has announced.
The Labour Party said no other candidates were shortlisted for the seat vacated by Josh Simons last week.
Simons said he would step down as MP for Makerfield to allow Burnham to “return to his home, fight to re-enter Parliament, and if elected, drive the change our country is crying out for”.
Burnham’s main competition will be local plumber and Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon, who stood in the constituency during the general election.
The Greater Manchester Mayor said he was “humbled” to have been selected, adding that working-class communities in the Makerfield constituency had been let down by national politics and he is glad the by-election would put them in the spotlight.
“These proud working-class communities represent the very best values of our country and they deserve so much better. It would be my honour to work for them every day, if elected as their MP, to achieve that,” Burnham said.
“Many people here feel Westminster isn’t working for them and they are right. I am standing to change that and get the voice of these communities heard loud and clear.”
It is shaping up to be a difficult contest for Burnham. Simons currently holds a majority of 5,399 votes in the constituency. Labour secured 18,202 votes in Makerfield at the 2024 general election, while Reform UK finished second with 12,803.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, claimed that the by-election contest was a “David versus Goliath battle”.
I am proud and humbled to have been selected as Labour’s candidate for Makerfield.
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) May 19, 2026
These proud working-class communities represent the very best values of our country and they deserve so much better. It would be my honour to work for them every day, if elected as their MP, to…
“This is the ‘The Plucky Plumber’ taking on ‘Open Borders Burnham.’ Only Reform UK can beat Labour in this byelection,” he said.
In a video posted online by Reform, Kenyon took aim at Burnham, claiming that Makerfield was a “stepping stone” for the Labour politician.
If Burnham wins the seat and returns to Westminster, it is expected he will challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.
Labour is facing threats from both the Greens and Reform UK.
Robert Kenyon is our by-election candidate.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 19, 2026
This is The Plucky Plumber taking on Open Borders Burnham.
Only Reform UK can beat Labour. https://t.co/he6lEwEKJC
The challenge facing Labour was underlined in the local elections, where the party lost all 22 councillors in Wigan, while Reform UK won 24 of the 25 seats up for grabs.
Announcing his intention to run, Burnham said: “I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times.
“We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again.”
Burnham has emerged as a frontrunner to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after Labour’s disastrous local election results, in which the party lost 1,498 council seats, triggered political instability within the party.
More than 80 MPs have called for Starmer’s resignation, while several senior ministers — including Health Secretary Wes Streeting — have resigned.
Makerfield has been held continuously by Labour since the constituency was created in 1983.
