Khaberni - Andy Burnham, a veteran of the ruling Labour Party, paved the way for an attempt to oust British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after winning a parliamentary seat in Northern England today, Friday, in one of the most significant local elections in over six decades.
Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, also known as "King of the North", won the Micklefield seat in northwest England by securing 24,927 votes, while the candidate of the populist British Reform Party led by Nigel Farage came in second with 15,696 votes.
Starmer's popularity, who came to power in July 2024 after the Labour's sweeping victory in the legislative elections, has plummeted to its lowest levels following several political blunders and is now facing severe criticism even from within his own party, particularly after Labour's significant loss in the local elections in early May and the scandal of appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington despite being aware of his connections with American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, accused of operating a sexual exploitation network for minors.
Since the party's crushing defeat in the May elections against the anti-immigration Reform Party led by Nigel Farage, the Prime Minister has faced several calls for resignation, including from within his own party.
Among them is Burnham, returning once again to Parliament, where he was a Member of Parliament between 2001 and 2017, through his candidacy in the Micklefield constituency surrounding Manchester in northwest England.
This step is indispensable for this 56-year-old former minister, who has gained considerable popularity through his defense of the Northern England region he originates from, to the extent that he was nicknamed "King of the North".
Micklefield makes history
The Prime Minister vowed to struggle to stay in office, and expressed hope on Wednesday that "Burnham would play a significant role in his government," a proposition that the latter rejected according to British media.
During the election campaign, Micklefield with its estimated 76,000 voters became a focal point in British politics, visited by many political figures, including ministers and MPs, among them Nigel Farage.
The Micklefield constituency is traditionally counted among Labour, but the party's dominance waned in the recent elections in which the Reform Party made a breakthrough and won several local seats, including that of their candidate Robert Kenyon in this legislative election.
Kenyon, born in Micklefield, focused his campaign on immigration and taxes, but faced widespread criticism due to earlier statements he made that involved discrimination against women. He is also paying the price for the rise of the more radical "Restore Britain" party, founded by Robert Lowe, a close associate of Nigel Farage and supported by American billionaire Elon Musk.
Leadership elections
Wes Streeting, the former Health Minister and one of Starmer's main rivals, confirmed that this week he would be forced to call elections soon unless the Prime Minister announces his resignation date.
According to Labour Party rules, it requires the approval of 20% of the parliamentary members of the party, that is, 81 MPs, to declare their support for a single candidate to initiate a challenge on the party leadership.
If Starmer is ousted, Britain would have seen its seventh Prime Minister within nearly a decade, the highest turnover rate in about two centuries, as voters punish leaders who have failed to improve living standards, public services, and address illegal immigration.
