ANDY BURNHAM promised voters he will restore Labour to the party “they used to know” as he officially launched his campaign to return to Westminster today.

Standing against Reform UK in the Makerfield by-election, the Greater Manchester mayor promised that a vote for him would be a “vote to change Labour.”

In his speech kicking off his campaign, Mr Burnham indicated he would change various core aspects of Britain’s tax system if he became prime minister.

This would include looking into a capital gains levy, hitting landowners with heavier taxes and reforming the “highly regressive” council tax system, which hits more deprived households with heavier tax burdens.

Mr Burnham has already committed to adhere to the government’s current borrowing rules, after bond markets reacted negatively to his potential bid for the top job.

He also told voters in Makerfield that he wants Labour’s next general election manifesto to commit to proportional representation.

Hard-right Reform candidate Robert Kenyon is now expected to be Mr Burnham’s main rival in the by-election, after the Greens’ Chris Kennedy stood down on Thursday less than 24 hours after being selected.

Despite citing personal reasons for stepping down, Mr Kennedy allegedly shared a social media post describing an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances earlier this year as a “false flag attack.”

Speaking in Ashton-in-Makerfield today, Mr Burham hit out at Sir Keir Starmer’s record as prime minister, saying: “A vote for me in this by-election is a vote to change Labour.”

He said the voters of Makerfield would get “the party back they used to know,” adding: “This is a change by-election. Politics in this country, British politics, is tired.

“It needs a new script and over the next four weeks the people of Makerfield are going to write that script, and it’s great that they’re going to get that chance.”

Mr Burnham also said today that there was “space to be more radical” in Labour’s 2024 manifesto, including electoral reform to introduce proportional representation, building more council houses, rail renationalisation and changing the council tax system.

Of the latter, he said: “It’s a highly regressive tax, and I think it’s not justifiable based on those 1991 valuations.”

He also added he would not withdraw previous statements he made about scrapping inheritance tax, suggesting he would back a “social care levy.”

Mr Burnham told reporters: “I know there’s a great resentment about inheritance tax, so actually just, you know, take that away, perhaps, and look at a care levy.

“It’s not about asking people to pay more, it’s just people paying in the most unfair way possible at this moment in time and I think there’s a much better way of doing it, and people just have peace of mind while they’re alive, because they get the care that they need, and then it will be dealt with in a much better way.”

Mr Burnham told reporters that he believes land is “undertaxed” in Britain, adding: “I see a big case for land and property and business taxation to be changed.”

Referring to a potential wealth tax under his leadership, he said that he would not go “straight to” a levy on capital. He also promised not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance rates.

On recent plans to change the indefinite leave to remain system, Mr Burnham said the government was “moving in the right direction” on immigration but called for a thorough consultation on proposals.

His launch was attended by several Labour backbenchers and his friend Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, as well as party chief whip Jonathan Reynolds.

A Green spokesperson said their Makerfield candidate has deleted and apologised for the posts, but added the party stood by previous statement about the reasons for his decision not to run.

Reform’s Robert Kenyon said he was “ready to take on the King of the North,” referring to Mr Burnham’s nickname, in a video on social media where he appeared alongside the party’s Nigel Farage.

The Liberal Democrats have announced Stockport councillor Jake Austin will be their candidate to contest the seat.