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  "path": "/politics/ministers-demand-andy-burnham-unopposed-reform-uk-makerfield-by-election",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-16T09:24:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Keir Starmer launches fightback against Andy Burnham as PM set to approve £18bn defence boost",
    "When is the Makerfield by-election? Likely date revealed as Andy Burnham's No10 push faces crunch test",
    "Kemi Badenoch refuses to stand aside for Reform UK in Makerfield by-election: 'I will do NO deals!'",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nSenior cabinet ministers are urging the party to hand Andy Burnham an uncontested path to the Labour leadership should he triumph over Reform UK in the forthcoming Makerfield by-election.\n\nLabour Party members have cautioned that a leadership bid from Wes Streeting would plunge the party into prolonged internal conflict.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"The alternative is months of factional warfare which will create a schism in the parliamentary party that cannot be repaired,\" one cabinet minister warned.\n\nSenior figures are pressing both potential rivals to negotiate an arrangement that would spare the party a damaging contest.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nOne minister insisted Mr Streeting stood no realistic prospect of defeating Mr Burnham following a Makerfield victory: \"If Andy wins Makerfield, he will be carried aloft into the Westminster tea rooms on the shoulders of Labour MPs.\"\n\nThe Prime Minister is facing mounting pressure from cabinet allies to step aside either before or immediately after the by-election result is announced.\n\nSir Keir Starmer was reportedly weighing his options over the weekend, having privately conceded he would be unable to fend off a challenge from the Greater Manchester mayor should Mr Burnham secure victory.\n\nLabour's national executive committee gave the green light to Mr Burnham's candidacy on Friday, marking a significant shift from its earlier decision to block him from contesting the Gorton & Denton by-election.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nA committee source explained the change: \"It's a different circumstance and the NEC works on blocs. They have shifted and it's as simple as that.\"\n\nLabour held Makerfield in 2024 with a 5,400-vote majority.\n\nMr Streeting publicly endorsed Mr Burnham's selection on Friday, declaring he represented Labour's strongest chance of holding the seat: \"The Makerfield by-election will be tough. Votes will need to be earned. We need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them.\"\n\nEven allies of the Health Secretary have acknowledged the political reality. One Mr Streeting supporter conceded: \"I disagree with pretty much everything Andy now apparently claims to stand for. But if he wins Makerfield, I'm not going to pretend there should be a contest. He will walk into No 10.\"\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Keir Starmer launches fightback against Andy Burnham as PM set to approve £18bn defence boost\n  * When is the Makerfield by-election? Likely date revealed as Andy Burnham's No10 push faces crunch test\n  * Kemi Badenoch refuses to stand aside for Reform UK in Makerfield by-election: 'I will do NO deals!'\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe campaign is expected to last four weeks, with June 18 the earliest possible polling day.\n\nReform UK dominated last week's local elections in the constituency, capturing more than half the vote against Labour's 23 per cent.\n\nFinancial markets responded sharply to the prospect of a Mr Burnham premiership on Friday, with government borrowing costs climbing to levels not seen since 1998.\n\nThe Ftse 100 shed nearly two per cent, with banking and utility stocks bearing the brunt of the sell-off.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWater company shares tumbled by approximately eight per cent, while National Grid and SSE experienced comparable declines amid concerns over Mr Burnham's previous support for renationalisation.\n\nNatWest, Barclays and HSBC all dropped around three per cent on fears of increased banking levies.\n\nMark Dowding, chief investment officer at RBC BlueBay Asset Management, said: \"It is questionable whether investors would be prepared to give a candidate such as Burnham the benefit of the doubt, happy to sell first and ask questions later.\"\n\nSimon French, chief economist at Panmure Liberum, attributed the turbulence to uncertainty over who might replace Rachel Reeves as Chancellor.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Ministers demand Andy Burnham walks into No10 unopposed... if he can beat Reform UK"
}