Image source, Getty Images

Burnham next repeats elements of his victory speech last night that this is Labour's "last chance to change".

"We are going to take it," he says.

He adds last night's vote carried a "risk" of seeing Britain going further down the path of "greater division", comparing it to the US.

"We will bring people back together," he says. "I will be an MP for everybody however they voted."

He stresses that he wants to change politics to "make it work again" and help people see it can bring a "positive difference".

He says last night's result "opened up the possibility we can now move forward together towards that future", and says he will set out a "new path for Britain".

Burnham describes his victory in Makerfield as the "last chance to change" the Labour Party.

He says Labour has to do something "to make life affordable" again and to "give people more breathing space, so they can have a better life".

"We need an economy that works for everybody," Burnham continues, adding that the cost of water, energy and rail fares needs to come down.

He also calls for a "new drive of reindustrialisation" and an education system that "offers a path for everybody".

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Burnham says the people in Makerfield during the May elections issued "a call for change".

He says Josh Simons - the former MP who stood down to allow Burnham to return to Westminster -understood how serious that call for change was.

Simons did something "incredibly selfless" in stepping down, he says, thanking him and his family for the "significant sacrifice".

Image source, Peter Byrne/PA Wire

Andy Burnham has begun addressing supporters at Ashton-in-Makerfield. He's joined by his wife as he walks up to the crowd.

Many of those gathered are holding red "Andy for Us" signs. As he begins speaking, at his shoulder is Josh Simons - the former Makerfield MP who stood down so Burnham could stand.

Burnham begins by thanking everyone from the "wonderful" Makerfield area who has looked after him during the campaign.

He says the by-election was won by a "band of strong, northern power women".

Hit watch live to follow along, we'll share the key lines here.

Andy Burnham is due to speak to Labour Party members shortly at Ashton-in-Makerfield, following his resounding by-election victory.

We'll let you know when he gets going - tap the watch live button at the top of the page to follow along.

Image source, Reuters

Deputy leader of the Labour Party Lucy Powell - a key ally of Andy Burnham - has celebrated the Makerfield by-election win as a "fantastic result".

She says: "After such difficult results in May, it’s great to win again and show how, and that we can, beat Reform in communities like Makerfield."

Powell was the only member of Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) who voted to allow Burnham to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election, which took place in February.

Burnham had sought permission to stand as Labour's candidate, but was ultimately denied permissing following a vote among NEC members.

In mid-May, the NEC ultimately gave Burnham the go-ahead to run in Makerfield.

Starmer says he hasn't spoken to Burnham directly yet but he will do.

Asked if he's going to stand in any possible leadership election, he says "there isn't one at the moment" and that doing so would send "the country into chaos".

But he goes on to say - as we reported earlier: "If there is a contest, then yes I will run, I will stand, and I've said repeatedly I'm not going to walk away from that."

Keir Starmer is speaking to reporters now during his first public outing since Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election - as we just reported, he's said he "will stand" in any possible leadership contest.

Just before, he hails "a very good victory" and renews his congratulations to the former Greater Manchester mayor.

The by-election was a "real battle of Labour values against divisive Reform values", he says, adding that "the tide is turning on Reform".

"They can't now win by-elections, they've probably reached the peak of their support, it's going down."

Keir Starmer says he "will stand" in a Labour leadership contest should one be triggered after Andy Burnham returns to Westminster.

"I'm not going to walk away from that."

We'll bring you more in our next post.

Keir Starmer has been seen visiting a housing development in north London this morning, alongside Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy.

The PM was pictured leaving No 10 by the back exit earlier after congratulating Andy Burnham in a post on X.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

Green Party leader Zack Polanski says the race for the Greater Manchester mayoralty "starts today".

As we explained in our last post, Burnham's victory in Makerfield has automatically triggered a vote to find a new mayor there.

After congratulating Burnham, Polanski says the contest to become the next mayor will be "Greens v Reform".

Earlier today, Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said his party was "looking forward" to the Greater Manchester mayoral election, pinning it as its "next ambition".

Paul Burnell
BBC North West

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Andy Burnham's return to parliamentary politics has automatically triggered an election to find a new metro mayor for Greater Manchester.

Sitting MPs cannot serve as regional mayors, because the regional role incorporates the role of police and crime commissioner.

The most likely date for the Greater Manchester vote is 30 July.

Burnham, who won the Makerfield by-election for Labour with a 55% share of the vote, became the region's first directly elected mayor in 2017, and won two further terms in 2021 and 2024.

In 2024, he won 63.4% of the vote, with 420,749 voters backing him.

He won in every borough in the city region, including in Wigan, where the Makerfield constituency sits.

The cost of finding a new mayor to replace Burnham is estimated to be about £4.7m - which was one of the reasons Labour gave for blocking his bid to become its candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February.

Image source, PA Media

It's been a "disappointing morning" for Reform UK, its leader Nigel Farage says, after his party came in distant second to Labour's Andy Burnham in Makerfield.

In a video posted on social media, he says the result was "dramatic" for Burnham - one "nobody could quite see coming".

He also directly addresses those who voted for Restore Britain in Makerfield, saying: "What do you want? We are the challenger party to the left in this country and I would urge you to think again. I really, really would."

He says: "I'd thought we'd get 18,000 votes, we got just shy of [16,000] so I'm disappointed by that. No question about it."

Farage says many in Makerfield voted for Burnham to "get Starmer out" - echoing comments from deputy leader Richard Tice earlier today.

"Reform still is the big national party on the centre-right. A disappointing morning, but we keep going."

You can get in touch in the following ways:

• Using our web form
• Email: yourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external
• Tag us on X: @BBC_HaveYourSay, external
• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

Image source, Reuters

Back in London, Prime Minister Keir Starmer just been snapped leaving No 10 via the back exit.

The PM congratulated Andy Burnham in a post on X earlier today, but we're yet to hear from him in front of the cameras.

Our political editor Chris Mason said that moment should come before before lunchtime.

How the night unfolded in Makerfieldpublished at 09:06 BST 19 June

09:06 BST 19 June

Harry Farley
Political correspondent, in Makerfield

Image source, Reuters

From the moment we arrived at the music venue/ conference centre that was the theatre for last night’s drama, it was clear Labour thought they’d won.

Andy Burnham’s aides and supporters were all too happy to come and chat to us journalists.

"Well, I’m smiling," one person close to Burnham said to me during the night when I asked how they thought it was going.

Reform UK, on the other hand, were more cautious.

"We think it will be close," one senior person in the party said to me as the polls closed.

In the end, it wasn’t.

Labour's early confidence hinted at a larger margin of victory than we’d been expecting from the polls. And when it was confirmed, the scale of Labour’s win was resounding.

The immediate argument we heard among Burnham’s supporters - from cabinet members like Lisa Nandy down - was this sealed the case they’ve been making: Burnham is the best person to lead the Labour Party as they take on Reform UK in the country as a whole.

But at the moment it seems Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his allies do not agree.

So we’re in for a chaotic few days as the battle for power in the Labour Party, that’s been a background tune to this by-election campaign, now reaches a crescendo.

Burnham's victory is a 'remarkable personal success'published at 08:55 BST 19 June

08:55 BST 19 June

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling guru

Image source, EPA

Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election represents a remarkable personal success.

Even at the best of times, support for the party of government nearly always falls in by-elections. Yet, in yesterday's ballot, Burnham not only retained every bit of the 45% share of the vote Labour won in the seat in 2024, but actually pushed his party's share up by 10 points.

With Labour stuck at just 19% in the national polls, much as it has been ever since last autumn, there has been no evidence of any marked change in Labour's popularity in the last few weeks to account for this turnaround.

Moreover, polling conducted during the Makerfield campaign suggested Labour would have lost quite badly if anyone other than Burnham had been Labour's standard bearer.

There appears to have been two key foundations to Burnham's success.

First, he managed to persuade many of those who voted for the party in 2024 to return to the fold. Polls published last weekend suggest that four in five of those who backed Labour two years ago voted yesterday voted for Burnham.

Second, as the polls also anticipated, Burnham seemingly benefited from a squeeze on the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. They won just 3% of the vote between them, down 19 points on 2024.

• You can read more analysis from Prof Sir John Curtice here

Image source, PA Media

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has lauded her party's win in Aberdeen South as a "significant" result, promising that she will "never stop fighting" for its constituents.

She says the result is "particularly significant" due to the support from those who had "never voted Conservative before".

Badenoch says her party "is working to earn the trust of the country again", and is "grateful and humbled" that residents of Aberdeen South voted for the Tories.

The Tory leader says: "Makerfield was about one man’s job. Aberdeen South was about thousands of jobs in oil and gas across our country and the future of an entire city."

Tory triumph in Aberdeen South was just what it neededpublished at 08:34 BST 19 June

08:34 BST 19 June

Glenn Campbell
Political editor, BBC Scotland

Image source, PA Media

Having slipped from second to fifth place in the recent Holyrood elections, the Scottish Conservatives have been seriously down on their luck in Scotland.

Their by-election win in Aberdeen South is just the sort of result they needed to demonstrate they still have fight and relevance. It is, after all, the party's first Westminster by-election victory in more than 50 years.

They threw everything at this seat - including their UK leader Kemi Badenoch, who visited three times to champion the oil and gas industry and place its future at the centre of the campaign.

The former MP for this seat, Stephen Flynn, caused the by-election by moving to Holyrood. He has said some will need to reflect on the result quite heavily.

His remark is open to interpretation.

Perhaps he means the UK Labour government, which has control over North Sea licensing and taxation.

Perhaps he also means his SNP colleagues in the Scottish government, who are seen by many in the oil and gas industry as insufficiently supportive.

In his first comments on the results, the SNP leader John Swinney does not offer any detailed analysis, preferring instead to celebrate his party’s retention of the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry seat.