Andy Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield by-election may have given him an opportunity to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, but it also means that he has to step down as the Mayor of Greater Manchester with immediate effect.
Burnham has been a champion of Manchester United’s plans for a new £2billion stadium to replace Old Trafford, and a wider regeneration of the surrounding area. He has been a key figure in the Mayoral Development Corporation and the stadium taskforce which have driven plans to build a new 100,000-seater venue in time for the 2035 Women’s World Cup.
So what does his exit as mayor mean for United’s vision of a ‘Wembley of the North’?
Will the new Mayor share Burnham’s vision?
United are relaxed about the situation but there is no guarantee that the man who replaces Burnham will have the same attitude or approach towards the new stadium.
A mayoral by-election must take place within 35 working days of the position becoming vacant, and it’s understood that a vote will be held on July 30. On the three occasions that Burnham was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, he had a healthy majority but the race to succeed him is expected to be considerably closer.
Both Reform UK and the Green Party performed well in Greater Manchester when the local elections were held in May, and whichever candidate Labour chooses has a fight on their hands.
Andy Burnham celebrates winning the Makerfield by-election – but it means he will stand down as Mayor of Greater Manchester which could have ramifications for United’s new stadium plan
United’s ambitious stadium plans designed by architects Foster + Partners were unveiled in March 2025
Last week, it was reported that victory for Burnham in Makerfield risked plunging the stadium project into a period of uncertainty, with a new mayor able to withhold funding, focus more closely on the wider regeneration or to deny a compulsory purchase order of the Freightliner land behind the Stretford End earmarked for the new stadium.
Spokesmen for Reform and the Liberal Democrats both told The Times that they would want to review the existing plans, particularly when it came to getting the right balance between public and private funding.
Reds relaxed over Burnham departure
The feeling at United is that Burnham’s return to Westminster will not derail their plans for a new stadium, and they are moving ahead regardless.
It could be argued that having an influential ally in the corridors of power may be even more advantageous for the club, although it’s unlikely United would ever receive public funding towards the £2billion cost of the stadium itself.
Burnham has previously stated that it would only be used for the regeneration of the Old Trafford area which aims to deliver 15,000 new homes on the 370-acre site, create 48,000 jobs and generate £7.3bn-a-year for the UK economy.
After winning the Makerfield by-election for Labour with 55 per cent of the vote, he vowed to keep fighting for the north. ‘It’s with some sadness this result brings an end to my wonderful nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester,’ said Burnham, who was elected in 2017, 2021 and 2024.
‘This city region has given so much to me, and it’s a wrench to have to leave the job you love. But I’m not leaving the service of Greater Manchester. I’ve always been clear it can’t achieve everything it should, and we can’t close the north-south divide, and we can’t make all the great northern cities be what they should be without big changes at the national level.’
As regards the Mayoral Development Corporation, it is a statutory body which can only be scrapped by the Government, and is expected to remain in place regardless of who is elected to the role vacated by Burnham.
One of its key purposes could be to break the deadlock in negotiations between United and Freightliner over the disputed land. Burnham has previously said that he could enforce a compulsory purchase order to help the club acquire it, but it remains to be seen how his successor will view the situation.
United are ever unlikely to receive public funding towards the £2bn cost of the stadium
It was mooted that work on the new stadium could begin last year, although much depended on United purchasing the land owned by Freightliner next to Old Trafford
Where are United up to with their stadium plans?
It’s 15 months since Sir Jim Ratcliffe unveiled United’s design for the new stadium at the headquarters of Foster + Partners in London – a futuristic, tented arena to replace Old Trafford which has been United’s home since 2010. Lord Foster revealed ambitious plans to float pre-fabricated parts of the stadium down the Manchester Ship Canal like bits of Meccano, theoretically cutting down the construction time so United could be playing in the new stadium by 2030-31, which even then seemed rather optimistic.
It was mooted that work could begin last year, although much depended on United purchasing the land owned by Freightliner which is crucial to the project, not least because building on it will allow the club to continue playing at Old Trafford in the meantime.
It’s understood that the two sides were initially way apart in negotiations, with United said to value the land at £40m and Freightliner closer to £400m. The compulsory purchase order could be used to break the deadlock, but even that can be a complicated process. More recently, there have been some encouraging signs to suggest they are closer to an agreement that would allow Freightliner to relocate and United to submit planning application within the next year.
Chief executive Omar Berrada discussed the importance of the deal earlier this month, saying: ‘Hopefully we’ll have some news to share in the next few weeks or months. Once we’ve secured the land and we know the exact location of where the new stadium could be, we will proceed to finalise the design, which will then give us a very good understanding of the potential cost.’
