Burnham boosts Labour support in Makerfield by-election victory

Andy Burnham’s Makerfield by-election victory was read as more than a routine Labour hold. He not only matched the party’s 2024 vote share in the seat, he increased it, turning a contest in a constituency Labour had already taken at the general election into a sharper test of personal political brand against national party strength.

That matters because the result suggested Burnham was doing more than defending Labour territory. It showed he could strengthen the party’s position locally, not simply preserve it, and that has fed arguments that he remains one of Labour’s most effective electoral performers. Sir John Curtice has pointed to the result as evidence that Burnham’s appeal in the area still runs deeper than the party label alone.

The significance also sits within Burnham’s wider record across Greater Manchester. He was re-elected mayor on 2 May 2024 with 420,749 votes, or 63.4% of the vote, in an election held alongside local elections across England and Wales. It was his third term in office after earlier wins in 2017 and 2021, and while his vote share was lower than in 2021, the Conservative share fell more sharply. Analysts said that still pointed to a swing from Conservative to Labour.

Burnham’s strength in Makerfield is particularly striking because of the geography behind it. Wigan, the local authority area that contains Makerfield, gave him 66% of the vote in the mayoral election. That makes the by-election result less like a one-off and more like another sign of a durable personal coalition across Greater Manchester, especially in places where Labour’s local vote remains anchored to Burnham’s profile.

His background helps explain why that appeal has proved so resilient. Burnham is a former MP for Leigh and served as a cabinet minister under Gordon Brown, giving him a long record in the region and a familiarity with voters that national Labour figures often struggle to match. In a party still balancing national branding, turnout shifts and regional identity, Makerfield reinforced a simple point: Burnham is not just a local figurehead, but a politician who can still expand Labour’s reach.