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The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

‘The King of the North’: who is the man tipped to be the next British PM? – podcast

Keir Starmer has announced he will stand down as prime minister less than two years after his election victory, kickstarting the race for who will be the next Labour leader. And with MPs nervous about the growing threat from Nigel Farage’s Reform, many are speculating that the ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham could be next in the top job, after a thumping victory in a local byelection last weekend. Reged Ahmad speaks to North of England editor Josh Halliday about the man expected to become the n

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics22 Jun 2026

Keir Starmer to step down as prime minister two years after historic election victory

Labour leader bows to mounting pressure after Andy Burnham’s success against Reform UK in Makerfield Keir Starmer has announced he will stand down as prime minister after days of intense pressure from Labour MPs, including cabinet ministers, following the return of Andy Burnham to Westminster. Less than two years after a historic election victory, Starmer had faced calls from his MPs to set out a timeline for his departure, with many of them spooked by the threat from Nigel Farage’s party ahead

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics21 Jun 2026

Badenoch attacks Farage over £5m gift and rules out Tory-Reform pact

Conservative leader says Reform UK’s poor showing in this week’s byelections leaves idea of deal ‘stone-dead’ UK politics live – latest updates Kemi Badenoch has attacked Nigel Farage over the £5m gift he received before the general election as she ruled out an electoral pact with Reform UK. The Tory leader questioned Farage’s acceptance of the gift from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in the months before he stood to become an MP in 2024. Continue reading...

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics21 Jun 2026

Young men caught up in extremism ‘in search for belonging’, says UK youth violence campaigner

Jacob Dunne condemns Farage’s call for ‘pure cold rage’ but says underlying causes of volatile behaviour must be acknowledged When Nigel Farage said British people should respond to the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak with “pure cold rage”, it invited a chorus of condemnation from across the political divide. In a particularly tense moment in parliament, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, accused Farage of exploiting the tragedy for his own political advantage, in defiance of the wishes express

PoliticsReformCrime
The Guardian Politics20 Jun 2026

Ten years on, has the Brexit vote helped or hindered the EU?

Some said Britain’s departure would bring down the union, but countries are still queueing to join On the night of 23 June 2016, a storm broke out over Brussels. Rain poured and lightning flashed over the European Union headquarters. The next day dawned grey and calm, but the political weather was raging. Britain had voted to leave the EU. Nigel Farage, then leader of the UK Independence party (Ukip), declared the EU “finished” and “dead”. France’s Marine Le Pen, the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders a

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics20 Jun 2026

‘Within 10 mins, Andy had nicked it’: illustrator on his ubiquitous image of Andy Burnham

With its light scowl and dark attire, Stanley Chow’s creation has become visual shorthand for the politician’s anti-establishment sentiment It was shortly after Andy Burnham’s famously rousing speech outside the Manchester Central Library in October 2020 that Stanley Chow decided to draw him. Or rather his wife did. “It was the pandemic and we were all so down in the dumps at that point,” says the illustrator, speaking from his home in the city this week. But I remember looking around and he had

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

The Guardian view on Labour after Makerfield: change must mean more than a new leader | Editorial

Andy Burnham has shown Labour can beat Reform. He must show that his promise of change is a programme, not another slogan for power Andy Burnham’s triumph in the Makerfield byelection leaves the prime minister with only two options: fight openly for the Labour leadership, or leave office cleanly. The former Greater Manchester mayor easily saw off Reform UK’s candidate – winning 55% of the vote to his rightwing rival’s 35%. He won largely because he changed the political meaning of voting Labour

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

In Nigel Farage’s shoes, a less experienced politician might panic

Makerfield shows the challenges Reform is facing, from Restore and tactical voting to questions over that £5m gift As those around Nigel Farage are fond of pointing out, Reform UK has now led in more than 300 consecutive national polls. When it comes to byelections, though, it is fair to say the party’s results are more mixed. Yes, Robert Kenyon came second in Makerfield to a popular regional mayor backed by a Labour campaign so relentless that the main risk was annoying voters by knocking too o

PoliticsReform
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

Andy Burnham: our next Prime Minister? – podcast

Andy Burnham will return to Westminster as an MP, and potential challenger to Keir Starmer, after decisively beating Reform UK to win the Makerfield byelection. Kiran Stacey and Jessica Elgot chat through what happens next What would ‘change’ look like if Andy Burnham becomes prime minister? Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/politicspod Continue reading...

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The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

Facts and figures: the Makerfield byelection result in numbers

From the proportion of votes secured by Restore Britain, to the percentage point difference in Reform UK’s fortunes, here are the takeaways UK politics live – latest updates It was, the consensus opinion states, probably the most politically consequential byelection in recent UK history. But what can we learn from the raw numbers announced overnight in Makerfield? Here are some of them. Continue reading...

PoliticsReformRestoreRupert Lowe
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

Reform’s genius plan is finally coming into view: field terrible candidates then lose | Marina Hyde

The unstoppable Nigel Farage is looking increasingly stoppable in the wake of Makerfield. The actual prime minister, meanwhile, has gone into hiding You’ll note Keir Starmer is in full bunker mode – and we’ll get to him – but after this Makerfield result, why isn’t Nigel Farage? Why isn’t Nigel ranting madly at his generals and refusing to admit that actually, everything that went wrong for Reform here flowed directly from his personal character, and is going to keep happening in one way or anot

Reform
The Guardian Politics19 Jun 2026

Nigel Farage urges Restore voters to back Reform after ‘disappointing’ night in Makerfield

Reform UK party leader calls Andy Burnham’s byelection win ‘emphatic’ and makes appeal to voters of far-right Restore Britain UK politics – live updates Andy Burnham wins by huge majority Nigel Farage has urged people who voted for Restore Britain in the Makerfield byelection to back Reform UK instead, after what he accepted had been a “disappointing” night for his party. Reform’s candidate, Robert Kenyon, came second to Andy Burnham, but was more than 9,000 votes behind after what was often

PoliticsReformRestoreRupert Lowe