Voting has begun in Makerfield, a constituency just outside Wigan, in what could be one of the most consequential byelections in British political history. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Since Labour MP Josh Simons resigned to allow the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham a clear run at returning to parliament – and the opportunity to become prime minister – residents have been inundated with party campaigners and reporters. Yesterday Burnham urged people to "vote to change politics" and said he would take the "fight as high as I can possibly take it".

Despite the seat being considered one of Labour's safest (it has been red since its creation in 1983), the governing party face a stiff challenge from Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Although the Reform candidate Robert Kenyon's campaign has been bogged down with the revelation of historic sexist social media posts and less than impressive media performances, pollsters have the contest a close run thing.

On Wednesday, Starmer said he was willing to offer the mayor of Greater Manchester a "big" job in his government, should Burnham win when Thursday's votes are counted. But allies of Burnham said he was not interested in the offer, insisting "the benefit Andy has is the wind of change for not having been associated with the government's failings".

According to the Times, Burnham and his allies are hoping for a "coronation" in which Starmer stands aside, rather than a leadership contest, which they believe would be damaging to the Labour party's brand. But the prime minister has repeatedly made it clear he has no intention of standing down and says he will fight any challenge to his leadership.

What is certain is that the next 24 hours will prove to be a pivotal moment for this Labour government and, in particular, the prime minister. The Guardian, like other news outlets, is not allowed to report details of campaigning or election issues while polls are open today – they close at 10pm.

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