Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing anger in his own Makerfield constituency over hints of closer EU ties, with residents warning of a revolt and rejecting another referendum.
Burnham recently suggested he was keen on closer ties with the EU and even freedom of movement, although he admitted he would need a new referendum. Ashton-in-Makerfield, near Wigan, has had a Labour MP for 120 years and voted for Burnham as their new MP in a June by-election, as floating voters backed him to remove Sir Keir Starmer as PM.
During a visit to the former coal-mining town, constituents voted 65% in favour of leaving the EU in 2016. Some slammed the 'back-door' way Burnham entered Downing Street without a general election, but the appetite for another EU referendum was not there.
Constituents Voice Anger
One retired Greater Manchester Police officer, John Pagett, 68, said Burnham even being prime minister was an "affront to democracy" and feared that opening borders could put the benefits system under more strain. He fumed: "Andy Burnham can’t lie straight in bed. I don’t believe a word he says. In fact I think the way he came into Downing Street as PM, and now this EU idea, are affronts to democracy."
Pagett added: "I have a police pension and my state pension but I am finding things tough with the cost of living and bills going up. Burnham should concentrate on that rather than worrying about closer ties to the EU. It was supposed to be a once-in-a-generation referendum - not a once-every-10-years referendum."
Another constituent, 70-year-old grandmother-of-three Linda, who asked to withhold her surname, expressed fury at the suggestion of a Brexit U-turn. She said: "I have been furious seeing the boats packed with young men from war zones landing on the beaches of Dover. What if we had free movement? There could be millions."
Local Concerns Over Referendum
Linda added: "Labour want free movement because they are addicted to cheap labour but how will that help the young people of this country ever find a job? It's a disgrace. I never voted for Burnham and if he pushes something like this through I hope he could have a revolt on his hands and be out on his backside in the next general election."
However, the overriding concern among Makerfield residents was not the EU relationship but the town's ailing High Street, closed library, cost-of-living crisis, fuel prices, and the nation's 1.7 million unemployed. Some Brexit voters may have changed their minds after seeing how successive governments failed to fully implement it, but many remain passionate about leaving.
Best friends Kerry Curson, 38, and Yasmin Ratcliffe, 39, who work together at Rose's Café, expressed fatigue with voting. Yasmin said: "We've only just had a by-election here and that saw people pitted against each other - Labour and Reform - and I don't want another big vote." Kerry quipped: "Another referendum? No thanks!"
Political Landscape in Wigan
The normally staunch-left Wigan Council, which oversees Makerfield, has just 38 Labour councillors while Reform UK have 25, for now. There is a local by-election in mid-November that Reform are confident of winning. On 7th May, Reform won 24 of the 25 council seats up for grabs in Wigan, giving the Labour Party a significant setback.
When Burnham won his seat in Makerfield, many Tory, Lib Dem or Green voters who wanted Keir Starmer gone all voted for Labour, but at a future general election they won't do that again. Makerfield feels like a bubbling cauldron under Burnham's throne, and if he tries to rejoin the EU, it could explode right under his nose.
