Polls have opened in Makerfield, where voters are set to take part in what could be one of the most consequential by-elections in British political history.
Andy Burnham is standing as Labour’s candidate in the Greater Manchester constituency with the hope of returning to Parliament to oust Keir Starmer and replace him as Prime Minister.
Starmer said on Wednesday he was willing to offer the Mayor of Greater Manchester a “big” job in his Government, should Burnham win when Thursday’s votes are counted.
But allies of Burnham said he was not interested in the offer, insisting “the benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the Government’s failings”.
Burnham and his allies are reported to be hoping for a “coronation” in which Starmer stands aside, rather than a leadership contest, which they believe would be damaging to the Labour Party’s brand, according to the Times.
But the British prime minister has repeatedly made it clear he has no intention of standing down and says that he will fight any challenge to his leadership.
According to the Guardian, several Cabinet ministers have had to be talked out of resigning early by Burnham’s camp to prevent the Government descending into chaos ahead of the by-election.
Burnham supporters within the Government had intended to quit early to pressure the British prime minister into making way for his rival, the newspaper said.
Wes Streeting, the former health secretary who resigned to launch a prospective Labour leadership bid, is said to have met Burnham while campaigning in Makerfield on Monday, the Guardian also reported.
A source told the newspaper that “no deals were done” as a result of the meeting.
Starmer has said he plans to call Burnham “after the weekend”.
But the British prime minister may face swift pressure to accept a leadership contest or stand down, as Streeting has indicated he would be willing to trigger the race.
Speaking in his final campaign event on Wednesday evening, Burnham said that “change is coming” to Westminster as a result of the by-election.
“This is a chance to vote for change, for change in politics, for change in our economy, to vote for people, to make life better for people,” he said, later adding: “It is a vote for Makerfield. It is a vote for hope.”
Burnham’s nearest competitor in Makerfield is Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which polls have suggested is losing voters to Restore Britain, a party to its right with a more hard-line approach to migration and other issues.
In his final message to voters, Burnham urged them not to back Reform’s candidate Robert Kenyon, as he claimed the party’s victory could lead to a “darker and more divided politics”.
“There is a path that carries on and makes Britain look more and more like the United States of America, and we do not, in my view, want to end up there, where people can’t talk to each other in the street. That’s not the Britain I know, and the Britain that I love, and that’s not the path that we should be taking,” Mr Burnham said.
Makerfield is one of three parliamentary by-elections taking place on Thursday.
The other two are in the Scottish seats of Aberdeen South, and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, where SNP MPs Stephen Gethins and Stephen Flynn have stood down after winning elections to the Scottish Parliament in May.