No wild celebrations after Makerfield byelection win as incoming Labour MP signals the start of an even bigger campaign

• UK politics – live updates

• Andy Burnham wins by huge majority

While an election count normally feels like an ending, the culmination of long campaign, in Makerfield the declaration of Andy Burnham as the constituency’s new MP felt like just the beginning.

In the days and weeks leading up to polling day, all talk was of whether Burnham could beat Reform, in this seat where Labour had lost every single vote they were contesting in the council elections just weeks ago.