UK Politics – post Makerfield: coronation or contest?

Research evidence excerpt

UK Politics – post Makerfield: coronation or contest?

UK | Utilities & Clean Energy EquityJuneResearch18, 2026

UK Politics – post Makerfield: coronation or

contest?

With the UK political landscape in flux, the Makerfield by-election is set to be .

a key inflexion point in a potential leadership challenge to UK Prime Minister

Keir Starmer. The vote provides a pathway for Manchester Mayor Andy

Burnham to enter Parliament and contest the Labour leadership. We will

host Matthew Holehouse, Public Policy Editor at The Economist, to discuss

the by election outcome and how it could reshape the national political and

policy outlook.

Tuesday, 23 June 2026

2:00 PM BST / 3:00 PM CEST / 9:00 AM EDT

Hosted by: Mohit Kumar (Chief Financial Economist – Europe), Mark Braley (Deputy Head of

Research EMEA) and Modupe Adegbembo (European Economist)

To register for the call, please click on the following pre-registration link HERE.

Topics of Discussion:

What the results of the Makerfield by election tells us about the leadership path, including•

the likelihood of a Burnham coronation vs a contested race

The macro policy outlook and fiscal risks under a Burnham leadership vs alternative•

scenarios

How “Manchesterism” translates into policy and where markets may be mispricing•

outcomes

Implications for UK assets•

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Matthew Holehouse is Public Policy Editor at The Economist, where he covers the latest

developments in Westminster, interviewing high-profile political figures, and capturing the

major trends in UK government policy. He is the author of multiple Economist cover stories

on the last Conservative and current Labour governments. A major focus of his work currently

is what government policy means for businesses, the practice of government, and Britain’s