Andy Burnham has now officially secured his special election victory and reclaimed a seat in Parliament, positioning himself to challenge the widely unpopular Keir Starmer for leadership of the Labour party and the office of prime minister. Burnham, who is currently the mayor of Greater Manchester in northwest England, won the Makerfield seat with 55% of the vote in a race that included more than a dozen candidates, according to The Associated Press. Rob Kenyon of Reform UK, a right-wing populist party, finished second, trailing Burnham by more than 9,000 votes. Burnham last served as a member of Parliament in 2017, but his victory speech strongly suggested he is returning with the aim of leading the United Kingdom. “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point,” he said, according to the AP. “This result will bring about a country that works fairly for everywhere and for everybody.” TRUMP ALLY NIGEL FARAGE DEALS MAJOR BLOW TO STARMER IN LOCAL UK ELECTIONS AS RESIGNATION CALLS MOUNT This special election, known in Britain as a by-election, carried unusual weight because the local Labour MP, Josh Simons, deliberately stepped aside to make room for Burnham’s bid and leadership ambitions. The election’s potentially outsized consequences were matched by the unusual scene at Friday morning’s results announcement, where all the candidates gathered to hear the outcome. Burnham stood between an independent candidate wearing a fox costume and another candidate…
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