It is described as the most important by-election in years, with a whopping 14 hopefuls standing to be the next MP for Makerfield on June 18. While most attention has focused on Andy Burnham and his Reform rival Robert Kenyon, many other candidates have had little chance to make their pitch to voters in the Greater Manchester constituency.
In the interests of keeping readers informed, the Manchester Evening News approached all 14 candidates and asked them the same four questions so the local electorate can compare and contrast their responses. Of the 14 standing, 11 responded. Two candidates did not get back to us, and one has no online presence at all, meaning we had no way of contacting him.
Find the responses of those who did reply, listed in alphabetical order by surname, below.
What is the biggest priority for Makerfield voters right now, and how would you help address it as MP?
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
Cost of living continues to be the big issue we hear about from people on the doorstep. It is simply too expensive for people to go about their day-to-day lives. The cost of energy continues to spiral, and heating up our homes is becoming a choice between heating and eating for many. My top priority as an MP would be to push the government to adopt the Liberal Democrat plan on energy bills, breaking the link between gas and electricity prices and driving down the cost of electricity by investing further in renewables. Our plan will save families £870 a year, making a real difference in their budgets.
Count Binface (Count Binface Party)
I would say that their biggest priority right now is to read this article. But beyond that, the fine folk of Makerfield need some urgent respite from the constant cock-ups of the so-called mainstream parties. I will be a champion for local humans, standing up for citizens against the disgraceful activities of big business and ensuring their voices are heard in the fusty, dusty, musty Westminster. Electing me will put Makerfield on the star map in a way that the other 649 constituencies can only dream of. Together we will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party)
Politics is not working for the people of Makerfield. As your MP, I would make it my mission to change that. That means making your essentials more affordable, whether that is bills, fares, or rents. But we also need our politics to change. For too long, governments have let our towns become neglected, allowed jobs to move elsewhere, and ignored the hardships that people face here like the devastation of flooding and the nightmare of the illegal waste dump. That is out of order. I will fight to make Labour the party ordinary people expect it to be: rooted, ambitious, and for us.
Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party)
The biggest priority is to have an MP who is elected to put the people of Makerfield first, and not have an MP who puts their careers or desires to be prime minister.
Paul Gould (Independent)
I think if you asked the voters they would say the cost of living. I am standing to oppose the Peak Cluster Pipeline being built to the south of Manchester, which might at first glance seem irrelevant; however, this pipeline is part of a £35 billion contingency spend by the government on CO2 capture throughout the UK. This money needs to be redirected into people’s pockets via renewables grants. Instead of propping up redundant fossil fuel industries like the cement producers in Derbyshire, everyday people in Makerfield should be given help with insulation and solar to keep their bills down.
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)
Labour politicians have failed to listen to people in Makerfield for decades. Many doors I knock on have not had a visit from a politician for as long as they can remember. People here want to be listened to. I was born in, live in, and breathe Makerfield. If I am elected, people here will finally have an MP who will listen to them.
Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)
The biggest priority is simple: people feel ignored. This by-election was triggered not for the benefit of Makerfield residents but to give a politician a seat in Parliament. That tells you everything. As your MP, I will be here fighting to cut NHS waiting times, make our streets safer for women, slash the taxes and red tape crushing working people and local businesses, and restore the kind of community pride that career politicians have spent years eroding. Makerfield deserves an MP whose first loyalty is to this community, not to a leadership contest happening 200 miles away.
Sarah Wakefield (Green Party)
I hear people’s anger, and I understand it. People have experienced decades of failing government and stagnating living standards. Our councils have been starved of funds, and we can all see the impact of that around us. That has bred a lot of division. I want to support our communities to come back together, create hope, and bring some joy back into people’s everyday lives. That means working in Parliament to bring funds back to Makerfield and working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to spread the wealth created in the centre out to here.
Peter Ward (Rejoin EU)
Thus far speaking to residents, law and anti-social behaviour is at or near the top of most people's worries. As a barrister, I have seen the court and wider system decay over the last 20 years due to lack of resources to the point of almost total collapse. Waiting times for trial are now effectively denying justice to victims in particular. Given government restraints on spending, the only hope is to enjoy an economic boost that will bring much-needed revenue, which is why we need to rejoin the EU urgently. I will do everything in my power to achieve that aim, whilst working in local communities to reduce crime and build stronger communities.
Michael Winstanley (Conservative Party)
Many voters are increasingly concerned about crime and anti-social behaviour that blights the lives of residents. That is why I am backing the Conservative Party plan to Take Back our Streets. This means hiring 10,000 extra police officers, scrapping non-crime hate incidents which prevent true crime from being investigated, and giving police the powers they need to keep people safe with hotspot policing and improved technology. It is time to be tough on crime and tough on criminals.
How would you support households and local businesses in Makerfield facing ongoing cost-of-living pressures?
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
I have talked about our plan to reduce energy bills, but the cost of living is felt across our high streets and hospitality sector too. This government’s tax on jobs and increasing business rates are making it harder for our independent businesses and pubs to succeed. My priority as a Liberal Democrat is to support our businesses and high streets by cutting VAT for the hospitality sector, giving local businesses and our pubs the reprieve they need to flourish in our high streets.
Count Binface (Count Binface Party)
I will immediately ensure households have more money in their pocket by price-capping Wigan Kebabs at £2 a pop, and I will ensure that no 99 Flake ice-cream costs more than 99p. I will boost the retail sector on the high street by increasing free parking at the Gerard Centre to 3 hours. Electing me will also increase tourism to the Makerfield area, I guarantee it, and I will legislate for Galloway Bakers’ ‘Full Monty Bin Lid’ breakfast to be Britain's new national dish.
Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party)
The path we have been going down for 40 years has not been kind to communities like ours, and people here feel it every time they open an energy bill, fill up their car, or watch another shop close on the high street. If elected, I will have a relentless focus on reducing these everyday costs. That is work I have started as your Mayor, like bringing buses back into public control and capping fares. I will also demand urgent action to slash business rates for our pubs, and push to take small family high-street businesses like cafes and shops out of business rates altogether.
Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party)
One thing I will champion and campaign the government on from day one if I am elected is VAT and Fuel Duty. 48p for every £1 spent at the petrol pump is taxation, this is money going straight to the government. So literally half the money you pay at the pump is tax and not fuel. The government needs to cut this immediately, which will help both households and businesses alike.
Paul Gould (Independent)
40% of the UK’s CO2 emissions are produced by residences (26%) and transport (16%) (ONS figures). This really tells us where everyone’s energy usage really is. Grants and subsidies for insulation, renewable energy, and electrification of public and private transport is the answer. Support in these areas for the ordinary people of Makerfield rather than corporations would have the widest impact for the most people.
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)
Reform would reward hard work by scrapping tax on overtime. This would be a godsend to many working people in Makerfield. I would also campaign to scrap net zero lunacy to immediately cut people's bills.
Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)
I have built and run my own small business here in Wigan, so I know exactly what it feels like when energy bills arrive, when margins shrink, and when customers stop spending. As MP, I would push to abolish business rates for small businesses, scrap the red tape strangling entrepreneurs, and fight for lower personal taxes so working families keep more of what they earn. For households, I would scrutinise every penny of public spending locally and demand it reaches the people who need it.
Sarah Wakefield (Green Party)
I am supporting the policies we unveiled at the local elections to revitalise our High Streets. First, affordable leases for local businesses on every high street to end dominance of multinational chains and help independent traders to thrive. Second, using powers such as compulsory purchase orders to bring long-term empty shops back into public use to get art, leisure, and music back into High Streets. Third, giving residents a real voice in shaping their High Streets, putting decisions in the hands of local people and making sure the money spent in the local community stays there.
Peter Ward (Rejoin EU)
I have long believed local businesses deserve more support, and multinational companies in particular that pay little or no tax as well as destroying many High Streets should be brought to account. Their gravy days should have been over by now.
Michael Winstanley (Conservative)
The Conservatives have a plan to cut energy bills by £200 per year with our Cheap Power Plan. I would also support the Conservative Party’s measures to Get Britain Drilling so that we have a reliable home-grown source of energy rather than importing Oil and Gas from Norway or Russia. The Conservatives also have a plan to cut business rates for the vast majority of High Street businesses as well as getting Britain Working Again. All these measures will support families and businesses across the Makerfield Constituency.
What is your view on the current state of local public services in the area, and what changes would you push for to improve them?
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
People across this constituency and across the North West have been ignored for far too long by successive governments who do not deal with the issues that matter to them. Councils have had their budgets cut continuously, meaning services residents rely on, like local libraries, bear the brunt of these cuts. Liberal Democrats across the country have consistently called for the fairer funding local government needs to support the infrastructure we need to succeed. In Parliament, I would be proud to join my colleagues in forcing the government to commit to funding these local services.
Count Binface (Count Binface Party)
They are in a right old state, are not they? But not for long. On my watch, the £6.6 million Ashton-in-Makerfield Regeneration Scheme will be regenerated, and I will rephase the traffic lights on Liverpool Road to help ease traffic congestion. As for public transport, I pledge that finally British humans will be able to enjoy WiFi on trains that works. Connected to that I have an auxiliary promise: trains that work.
Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party)
Brilliant public services elsewhere do not mean much if they are not reaching communities like ours. Too many residents travel far, wait weeks, or spend hard-earned money just to access the basics. That is not good enough. I will fight to ensure every person in Makerfield gets what they are entitled to: a reliable bus, a local GP, community facilities that serve our towns. I delivered the Bee Network 629 to Abram, secured £1 million to reopen Ashton Library, and I will keep fighting for a permanent health centre for Orrell and Hindley Green. Our towns deserve more. I will not stop until we get it.
Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party)
Public services can always be improved. I want to see efficiency and an increase in productivity, so we as taxpayers are getting value for money.
Paul Gould (Independent)
Even though I am from Stockport, I live on the Wirral, but I know the situation in Makerfield (Wigan Council) is the same as it is on the Wirral. Local public services are weighed down by the statutory responsibilities of social care. What Makerfield needs is a government that is prepared to tackle the funding of social care.
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)
Something that gets raised on many doorsteps is the health provision in Wigan. Wigan Hospital is completely over capacity. It has no space to expand. If elected, I would campaign for a new hospital for Wigan.
Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)
Honestly, they are struggling and residents know it. SEND provision in this area is a particular crisis; families are fighting for years to get their children the support they are legally entitled to. NHS waiting times remain far too long. And too many town centres have been left to decline without a serious regeneration plan. I would push for proper SEND funding, local NHS accountability, and investment in Ashton, Hindley, Winstanley, Orrell, Abram, Worsley Mesnes, Bryn, Hindley Green, Platt Bridge, and everywhere else across Makerfield that goes beyond ribbon-cutting with real jobs, clean streets, repaired infrastructure, and businesses that make our high streets somewhere to be proud of again.
Sarah Wakefield (Green Party)
Our underfunded public services are struggling to keep up with the needs of people and communities after two decades of cuts and failing national governments. The people I meet delivering our public services really care and want to do the best job possible. Too often, they are let down, for instance by the lack of places for children with Special Educational Needs or poor social care that forces people to stay too long in hospital, adding pressures on our NHS. We have the people. What we are missing is the political will to support them through proper funding.
Peter Ward (Rejoin EU)
In common with other parts of the country and other institutions such as universities, they are on their knees. My heart goes out to those who suffer in consequence. As said, rejoining the EU is our best if not only hope. Each vote will send that clear message not only to both Starmer and Burnham but every other party that wants to govern this wonderful country.
Michael Winstanley (Conservative Party)
Over the last few years we have seen more and more housing development but without the infrastructure to support it. This means more cars on the roads, more pressure on school places, dentist, doctor, and hospital places. That is why I am campaigning on ensuring that any further developments must have infrastructure in place first. Access to GP and healthcare services is a major concern particularly in Orrell and Hindley Green, and I am campaigning to ensure that everyone across the Constituency has access to decent healthcare provision.
What is the one thing that people in the Makerfield constituency should be most proud of?
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
This is where I grew up, and while our area has been ignored by government, the strength of the community spirit here is something to be proud of, and it makes me proud to be someone who was born and raised here. No matter the challenge, friends and neighbours support each other, and that sense of community gives us an amazing culture of music, food, and friendliness that has made me the person I am today.
Count Binface (Count Binface Party)
Just one thing? That is the problem with a metropolitan elite publication like the M.E.N. You guys need to get out of the big city and explore Makerfield’s countless wonders, from world-class cuisine like Lobscouse and Babbies’ Yeds to galactic landmarks like the Monaco Ballroom and Three Sisters Racing Circuit, which deserves to hold the British Grand Prix. Best of all are the people of Makerfield, who know the election is a two-horse-race between a mayor who is reneging on a promise to serve you so he can skedaddle down south, and me. No contest. Make your vote Count!
Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party)
I have always been proud of our community spirit. Across this area, from Orrell to Hindley, Worsley Mesnes to Ashton, we have each others’ back. After the New Year's Day floods, I saw how the McDonald's on Liverpool Road and The Coffee Shop in Ashton opened their doors to provide shelter. When Bickershaw residents were confronted with an illegal waste dump on their doorstep, we took the fight as high as we could and got the government to clean it up. That is what these towns are made of. And that is what I will represent as your MP.
Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party)
In areas of Makerfield such as Bryn, I have seen and witnessed such a community feel. Neighbours helping each other out. This is what Makerfield can be proud of: the sense of community.
Paul Gould (Independent)
I am campaigning as an independent to question the government’s approach to carbon capture, in particular the Peak Cluster pipeline that is planned for the North West, but when I went around the Makerfield constituency to get support for my nomination application I was met with openness, interest, thoughtful discussion, and universal friendliness. The people of Makerfield should be proud of their open hearts.
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)
The best thing about Makerfield is its people. They are strong, smart, and great fun. As a plumber I visit many homes in this area every single day. People here deserve a far better deal than the one they have been getting from Westminster.
Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)
This is a place built on hard work, coal mining, manufacturing, small business, and that graft is still in the DNA of people here today. Makerfield has produced brilliant individuals, tight-knit neighbourhoods, and people who look out for one another. What frustrates me is that this community's resilience has too often been taken for granted by politicians who assume the votes are in the bag. That complacency ends with me. Makerfield deserves to be proud and to have that pride reflected in Westminster.
Sarah Wakefield (Green Party)
The people of Makerfield deserve to be justly proud of living in a wonderful area and offering all the visitors that have been crowding into the area in the last few weeks such a warm welcome! I was in the Three Sisters Nature Reserve in the rain earlier this week and it truly is a hidden gem. I want to make sure that when the media circus leaves in a few weeks, we have shown the country that we have so much to offer and that with the right political leadership in Parliament, our diverse, friendly, and welcoming constituency will stay on the map for decades to come.
Peter Ward (Rejoin EU)
Since standing I have been overwhelmed by the good humour and welcomes given to me, even by those who still think Brexit was a good idea! Thank you! My faith in you extends to the sound judgment voters will make on 18 June.
Michael Winstanley (Conservative)
As someone who was born, bred, and who has always lived in the Constituency, I am immensely proud of all the communities that make up Makerfield. We have amazing people who serve the local community in many different ways, including volunteering with charities, churches, community groups, and sports clubs to name but a few. It is the pride and sense of community that we see across the constituency that people should be most proud of.
Here is who else is standing in Makerfield
Alan 'Howlin' Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party)
Laud Hope did not answer our questions individually but said in his response: “The big question is, why do all these things need doing in Makerfield. What on earth have the Labour party been up to, in all the years you have had a Labour MP. In all our time, we have only ever known a Conservative or Labour government. Everything should be up and running by now, surely. In answer to your Q no 4, Makerfield should be proud that they are part of this great country of ours. To sum up, 'The Loony Party' will do all the things the other parties say they will do when they don't do it. We are the party that is on everybody's side, no matter what political persuasion they may be. How many times have I heard 'if there was a box for None of the Above' that is who I would vote for. Well there is, it's called 'The Official Monster Raving Loony Party', and your vote will count exactly as that. Remember the only wasted vote is one that is not used. Show Parliament that you care about politics, but not the way they are running it.”
Ed Gemmell (Climate Party)
Mr Gemmell has not provided a comment to the M.E.N. But in a LinkedIn post, Mr Gemmell said the Climate Party was “aiming to make a stand for climate and nature in the Makerfield by-election”. He adds: “We want to put climate and nature at the forefront of the election in Makerfield. We want the other parties to see that investing and innovating our way to net zero in the UK will put double digit growth onto the UK economy while simultaneously creating every innovation needed to solve the climate crisis globally”.
Rob Pownall (Independent)
The M.E.N. was unable to reach Mr Pownall, founder of wildlife protection organisation Protect the Wild, for comment. He plans to campaign dressed as a fox. He wrote on his Substack: “I am not standing in this by-election because I think I am going to become the next MP. I am standing because animals do not get a vote. For decades, foxes, deer, hares, badgers, and countless other wild animals have suffered while politicians make promises, launch consultations, and then quietly kick meaningful action further down the road”.
John Dyer (Independent)
The M.E.N. was unable to contact Mr Dyer, who appears to have no online presence at all and is listed as living at an address in the Liverpool Wavertree constituency.
