Andy Burnham is coming back to Westminster – what happens now?

Greater Manchester mayor and Labour candidate Andy Burnham arrived at the count room with a large smile on his face (Picture: Reuters)

The biggest gamble in modern UK politics has paid off. Andy Burnham has won in Makerfield, and now has a seat in Parliament.

It’s worth remembering this was never a guaranteed result: when Josh Simons announced he was stepping down as the constituency MP to make way for the Mayor of Greater Manchester last month, just one week had passed since Reform won big i...