What could happen next in Labour leadership challenge?

"In order for the byelection to take place a process must first be followed in the House of Commons. By convention, the Labour chief whip will start the process by formally asking parliament to start the election process. This is called moving the writ. Once the writ is moved, the byelection must take place between 21 and 27 working days later, with byelections usually held on a Thursday. This means that if a writ is issued in the coming days, we could see the byelection as early as Thursday 18 June or 25 June."

"Labour's majority in Makerfield in 2024 was just 5,399 and Reform UK won all the constituency's wards in last week's local elections. Just before Labour's 7 May local elections disaster, a Compass survey of more than 1,000 Labour members found that given a free choice, 42% would pick Burnham to succeed Starmer, with just 11% opting for the former health secretary Wes Streeting."

"But Burnham also still requires permission from Labour's ruling national executive committee to contest the byelection. The NEC blocked him when he tried to stand in the Gorton and Denton byelection, which Labour went on to lose to the Greens. At least one MP needs the backing of 20% of the Labour party's MPs 81 at the moment to challenge the prime minister."

"After a leadership hopeful nails down 81 backers in the Commons, candidates are then put for a vote to party members, who rank them in order of preference. A contender is declared the winner if they get more than 50% of first preferences, and this usually happens through a process of elimination during round"

A Labour leadership challenge to Keir Starmer appears more likely after Andy Burnham was offered a route back to parliament. Manchester’s mayor said he wanted to return to Westminster, following Josh Simons’ decision to stand down so Burnham could run for the north-west England seat of Makerfield. A byelection requires House of Commons procedures, starting when the Labour chief whip moves the writ. After the writ is moved, the byelection must occur between 21 and 27 working days later, often on a Thursday, potentially as early as 18 June or 25 June. Makerfield’s 2024 Labour majority was 5,399, and Reform UK won all wards in recent local elections. Burnham also needs permission from Labour’s national executive committee, which previously blocked him from contesting a byelection. A leadership challenge requires backing from at least 20% of Labour MPs, followed by a vote among party members who rank candidates, with a winner declared after reaching more than 50% of first preferences.

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