Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, a "huge asset" to Labour in a television interview at the G7 summit on 17 June 2026. He said Burnham should play a "big role in government." The timing was deliberate: these comments arrived just hours before the Makerfield by-election on 18 June.

Starmer also sent a message to the Labour Party: stop talking about who might lead the party next. This matters because Burnham has not hidden his ambition to become prime minister. In early June, he told Reuters he would not call a snap election if he reached Number 10 — a comment that only makes sense if he is seriously thinking about the job.

The Seat and What Happens Next

Makerfield is a constituency in Greater Manchester that became vacant when Josh Simons resigned. Burnham announced his campaign on 22 May. Under parliamentary rules, he is allowed to run for the seat while still being mayor. But here is the catch: if he wins, he must immediately resign as mayor.

There is no waiting period. Winning the election means losing the mayoralty at the same time. So Burnham's victory would create two openings: his seat in Parliament and his old job as mayor of Greater Manchester.

This is why Starmer's public backing matters. By saying Burnham will have a major government role, Starmer is telling Labour voters in Makerfield — and the party across the country — that the loss of Burnham as mayor is worth it. They are getting him in a more powerful position. It also stops people saying, "Why vote for him if it just leaves Greater Manchester without its top political leader?"

Polling showed Labour ahead by five points over Reform UK's Robert Kenyon. In by-elections, though, things are less predictable than normal elections. Fewer people vote, protest votes can swing results, and the advantages of being the ruling party often vanish. Reform has shown it can do better than polls suggest in these smaller contests since 2024.

What Comes After the Vote

Even if Burnham wins, his path forward is not straightforward. As mayor, he had real power — he could set his own policies and had been chosen directly by voters of Greater Manchester. Being a member of Parliament, if Starmer does not give him a cabinet post, would be a step down in status and authority. A cabinet job would fix that problem. But Starmer cannot just hand him one without changing other ministers around, and news of that shuffle would become a big political story. Burnham is not someone who quietly takes a back seat.

Starmer chose to make these remarks from the G7 summit, where world leaders gather to discuss defence, trade, and major global issues. Speaking from that stage lets him look strong and in charge while also managing what his own party is thinking — a useful trick for a prime minister whose popularity is struggling.

The danger for Starmer is that telling people to stop thinking about the next leader often makes them think about it more. If Burnham wins the seat, joins Parliament, and gets a cabinet position soon after, he will look like someone being groomed for the top job. That is exactly the impression Starmer wanted to avoid. He is trying to walk a fine line: keep Burnham as part of the government, give Labour a good story about promoting strong regional leaders, and hope that does not turn into a leadership challenge. Whether his plan actually works will become clearer after polling day.