BREAKING: Makerfield By-election - Burnham Records Comfortable Win, Teeing Up Leadership Challenge

Andy Burnham won more than half of all votes cast in the Makerfield by-election, comfortably beating the combined total for second and third place parties Reform UK and Restore Britain.

The now-former Greater Manchester mayor won 54.8% of the votes cast, outperforming all the opinion polls published during the campaign, none of which placed him above 50%.