Keir Starmer has said he is going to Makerfield to campaign for Andy Burnham in the manufactured by-election there. And he says he wants everyone else to do the same, no matter what “other discussions are going on”. In doing so, he has become the first PM in history to campaign for his own removal:

NEW: Keir Starmer says he’ll be travelling to Makerfield to campaign for Andy Burnham

“I want everybody to be involved in the campaign, whatever other discussions are going on”

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 21, 2026

Backfire

The messaging is most likely an attempt by Starmer to project strength, while secretly banking on Burnham to lose and save Starmer’s skin. In fact, given Starmer’s massive public unpopularity and his record of driving voters away in by-elections, his appearance in Makerfield is probably a direct sabotage attempt.

Definitely wants Andy Burnham to lose then. #MoreChaosWithKeir

— Andrea K Heywood#VoteGreen (@andreaheywood11) May 21, 2026

But given the weakness and awfulness of any MPs currently hoping to ‘challenge’ Starmer, it may backfire. Voters seeing Starmer will be acutely reminded that voting in Burnham is their only realistic hope of getting rid of the Brylcreemed blancmange before 2029.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

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