Burnham starts byelection campaign with thinly veiled pitch for No 10

‘This is a change byelection,’ says Labour mayor as he launches bid for Makerfield seat and lays out policy views

• UK politics live – latest updates

Andy Burnham has formally launched his campaign for the Makerfield byelection with a barely coded pitch for Downing Street, saying a vote for him to become the MP there was “a vote to change Labour”.

While not explicitly saying that he would seek to replace Keir Starmer, the Greater Manchester mayor used a speech to Labour MPs and activists in the constituency, followed by questions from the media , to lay out a series of national policy views, including on economy, immigration and electoral reform.