NNNYT Newsπ€Burnham Wins Makerfield By-Election, Clearing Path to Challenge Starmer as UK Prime MinisterAndy Burnham, Labourβs most popular politician, beat the populist right-wing Reform U.K. party in the Makerfield by-election. The decisive victory will energize his bid to become prime minister.By Michael D. Shear[1] The New York Times6/19/2026, 3:17:42 AM00000