Andy Burnham just won in the Makerfield by-election, and you know what that means; Keir Starmer has lost. Although he may choose to fight in a leadership election, there’s no way he can win – not when Burnham’s victory over Reform was so decisive and Starmer’s polling is so abysmal. And as such, it’s no wonder people are mocking his response:
https://t.co/8V9OIxrF0s pic.twitter.com/kWlJEI5nTD
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) June 19, 2026
Starmer insists he isn’t owned
Keir Starmer became the Labour leader on the back of 10 left-leaning pledges which he subsequently abandoned. These pledges weren’t bad, either; if he’d stuck by these, he wouldn’t have become the most unpopular PM in British history:
Forgive us if we don’t trust Keir Starmer.
Do you? pic.twitter.com/0XuPquukcz
— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) April 17, 2026
Sultana wasn’t the only one responding to Starmer, anyway. Evolve Politics said this:
They voted to finally boot you out, you absolutely colossal clown.
This reminds of the time you took credit for Marcus Rashford’s campaign for summer lunches for kids, Kier.
Others just ridiculed the man:
https://t.co/vVNrPvakOO pic.twitter.com/ihFVardYSu
— Y (@tinscognito__) June 19, 2026
Others are saying it’s time to…
Start…
the…
https://t.co/reCzH7nc2G pic.twitter.com/DGDpUVTr3U
— Hon. PolProf of Agile Ceremonies (@CeilNoyle) June 19, 2026
The day after today
Sultana has good reason to gloat over Starmer’s downfall. But she’s also realistic about who’s replacing him, as she expanded:
Just another reminder that Andy Burnham voted for the Iraq war – an illegal war that cost over a million lives.
He has refused to describe the systematic slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza as genocide.
So what will change? Nothing.
Arms sales to apartheid Israel will continue.
Palestine Action will remain banned, and more pensioners will be locked up.
Welfare will be cut to fund more weapons.
Immigration detention will expand, and mass deportations will continue.
Andy Burnham is not the second coming. He’s the establishment’s last roll of the dice.
We’ve already seen racist pogroms on our streets. That danger has not gone away.
So we must organise, build solidarity, and create power from below. Fascism isn’t at the door. It’s already here.
Only socialism can face down this barbarism.
Our own reporting from the Makerfield by-election has shown that Sultana is right to worry:
- Burnham ‘to support’ Mahmood’s racist immigration changes.
- Burnham is silent on wealth taxes – not a promising sign from potential PM.
- Andy Burnham’s role with Iain Duncan Smith’s think tank just shows he’s more of the same.
- Burnham WON’T back proportional representation this parliament.
- Shapeshifting Burnham ditches trans rights to panic-grab Reform votes.
- Burnham slammed for saying he won’t renationalise Thames Water.
- Burnham calls for ‘safe routes’ then agrees with Farage in muddled interview.
- Green candidate calls out genocide as Burnham sits on fence.
- Andy U-Turnham has already abandoned the Waspi women.
In his victory speech, Burnham promised to represent “everybody”. But as Maddison Wheeldon wrote for the Canary:
everybody includes our trans community and immigrants and asylum seekers who are under attack by the far-right. Burnham has already suggested he will abandon these groups to the rising tide of hate – but they, arguably more than most, deserve real hope.
Believing Andy will suddenly change his tune when he gets into power is wishful thinking – and wishful thinking that equally proved dangerous for those who voted Starmer into the top job.
It might prove easier to push Burnham left than Starmer, but we’re not holding our breath.
Let them fight
Starmer is vowing to fight Burnham, by the way, and to that we say ‘good’:
New: Keir Starmer says he “will stand” in any Labour leadership contest and he will not “walk away”
PM effectively daring cabinet to force him out
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) June 19, 2026
As much as we’re not optimistic about Burnham, we will enjoy seeing Starmer get squished like the f*cking bug that he is.
Featured image via the Canary
By Willem Moore
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