By-elections that shook up politics – could Andy Burnham be next?

By-election counts are the FA Cup ties of British politics.

Some go true to form, but many are tense, nail-biting, go deep into extra time and provide upsets and shocks by political giant killers.

Publisher and broadcaster Iain Dale has published a weighty book, British By-elections: The 88 By-election Campaigns That Shaped Our Politics.

Could Labour's King of the North, football fanatic Andy Burnham, who's tipped to come off the bench and contest Gorton and Denton in a by-election, be next?

Burnham fuelled speculation about a Commons comeback when he said in an interview on Thursday he had "never ruled out going back to Westminster".

With chapters written by politicians, academics and journalists in his book, Dale claims his 88 are the most consequential by-elections of the modern era.

Now I can't claim to have covered 88 by-election counts for Sky News. After all, the first was in 1769 and 70 of the 88 in the book were before the 21st century.

But I have covered 44, if I'm not mistaken, starting in 2003, and I'm grateful for a few mentions in the book, some flattering, some less so. But there you go.

"There's rarely a dull by-election," Dale writes in his preface. "Some by-elections take on iconic status and are remembered several decades after they take place.

"Others quickly disappear into the depths of our memories, rarely to be thought about ever again."

The first by-election I covered for Sky News, in September 2003, was Brent East, which saw a shock win for the Liberal Democrats over Labour.

The most recent was Runcorn and Helsby, in May this year, when Reform UK's Sarah Pochin was just six votes ahead of Labour after an all-nighter and a result at 6am.

When there's a recount, I've joked about VAR holding up the result. I even covered one by-election count, Stretford and Urmston, at the Old Trafford football ground.

Over 22 years of covering by-election counts I hope I've learned the tricks of the trade when the result is on a knife-edge: One, look closely at the piles of ballot papers; two, see which candidate has a victory speech in their hand or pocket.

But most important, three, find out what's said in the huddle when the returning officer calls the candidates and their agents together to brief them on the result ahead of the declaration.

It may have been my first TV count after more than 20 years in newspapers, but lesson three served me well at Brent East, as my former Sky News colleague Joe Pike reveals in his chapter on Sarah Teather's triumph.

"Jon Craig, Sky News' new signing, who would go on to broadcast from more than 40 by-election counts, announced Labour's loss even before the returning officer had stood up," Pike writes.

"(Robert) Evans (Labour's candidate) tipped him off that Labour had lost by 1,000 votes and Craig passed on the revelation on live TV."

Thanks, Joe. I'd kept quiet about how I discovered the result until now.

A glaring omission from the book, in my opinion, is George Galloway's upset in Bradford West in 2012.

When Sky News arrived at the count, everyone in the hall was predicting a Labour win. But gradually the mood changed. I texted George: "Labour getting jitters here, George! Say you're doing very well. What do you think?"

"Think I'm going to win, Jon," he replied instantly.

"Labour and Tory MPs think so too," I told him. "Keen to get you on TV." I called him and urged him to come to the count and claim victory.

And 'Gorgeous George', never one to be shy or turn down publicity, duly obliged. He'd turned a Labour majority of nearly 6,000 into a victory for his Respect Party by more than 10,000 votes, a swing of more than 50%.

Richmond Park, in 2016, and Copeland, 2017, are in the book. My memory of Richmond Park is chasing a very angry Zac Goldsmith, the Tory Heathrow expansion rebel, around the count after he lost to the Lib Dem Sarah Olney.

Hartlepool, in 2021, was a by-election that really did take on iconic status. It was a rare Tory gain, a victory for Boris Johnson in the Red Wall and it threw the new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer into a panic.

He sacked his chief whip, Nick Brown, tried to demote his deputy, Angela Rayner. But that backfired, as she acquired even more titles. He's since admitted he considered quitting.

The result came at 7.10am, by which time a giant inflatable Boris Johnson doll had been erected outside the count. My post-results broadcasts were from in front of that.

Oh, and on the Monday, back in Westminster, I tested positive for COVID. Red Wall COVID.

The second Batley and Spen by-election, later in 2021, saw 'Gorgeous George' attempt to repeat his Bradford West triumph. Tracy Brabin had succeeded the murdered Jo Cox in 2016 but had quit to become West Yorkshire mayor.

This time Kim Leadbeater, Jo's sister and now the assisted dying crusader, was Labour's candidate. Galloway was described by author Emma Burnell in the book as "a serial candidate over the years, with varying levels of success".

This "Red Wall" clash was, though, a classic knife-edge by-election, running deep into extra time, with Leadbeater squeezing home by 323 votes ahead of the Tory candidate Ryan Stephenson. Cue VAR gags during the delays.

"On election night, neither Labour nor the Conservatives were confident of victory," writes Burnell, editor of LabourList. "Mobile phones were banned from the count and so most of the news the candidates were receiving was through television coverage.

"At one point, Sky's Jon Craig declared that the Tories had won and it was just a case of by how much. However, Stephenson delights in telling the story of his entering the count later (now aware of how the night had gone) to overhear Craig announcing to the nation: 'The loser, Mr Stephenson, has now arrived.'

"Leadbeater, meanwhile, had not prepared her victory speech, convinced as she was that she had lost." My recollection, however, is different and I'm sure she did have a speech. (Lesson two)

At Mid-Bedfordshire in 2023 after Nadine Dorries' resignation, LBC radio's Henry Riley recalls a tense count and writes: "The only brief moment of levity was when veteran by-election reporter-in-chief Jon Craig of Sky News was presented with a cake by the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, Russell Beard, to celebrate his 40th by-election."

From new signing to veteran in just 20 years. It's a cruel world.

In Rochdale last year, George Galloway was back. And this time he won by nearly 6,000 votes and became the first MP elected to represent a fourth different Westminster constituency since Winston Churchill, Sunder Katwala tells us in the book.

George and I are old comrades, going back to his days as a left-wing firebrand in the Labour Party. I was a touch embarrassed at Rochdale, however, when he said during our post-result interview: "You bought me lunch!"

Runcorn and Helsby was so close - six votes - that the count dragged on until 6am after a massive recount. "As the night turned to morning, Labour staff looked more and more nervous," writes ITV's Harry Horton in the book.

"Reform's team appeared nervous. At one point, a Reform aide instructed photographers to assemble at the door for the arrival of Nigel Farage.

"One broadcaster claimed he'd seen the Reform leaders circling the car park outside but had driven off when it appeared Labour might sneak a win. Farage later denied anything of the sort had ever happened."

Well, as the "one broadcaster" referred to by Harry, there was indeed a car circling the car park. But, admittedly, it was dark! We all make mistakes.

There have been a few blunders. At one count, not long after she became an MP, I mistook Angela Rayner for Jess Phillips. Fortunately, she told me she was flattered. Whatever happened to her?

So where next on the by-election fixture list? Will Andy Burnham contest Gwyne's seat prior to challenging Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour captaincy?

With Reform UK the challengers in Gorton and Denton, that's a by-election that could be one for VAR.

(c) Sky News 2025: By-elections that shook up politics – could Andy Burnham be next?