There was a curt handshake and little eye contact between Andy Burnham and Robert Kenyon on stage at Winstanley College after 75 minutes of being quizzed by local voters on immigration, cost-of-living, health and the green belt. In just over a week, either the current Greater Manchester Labour mayor or his Reform UK rival will be the next MP for Makerfield, each outcome potentially sending the constituency - and the country at large - in two radically different directions.
Contrasting Campaign Strategies
While Mr Kenyon, a local plumber, used much of his allotted time at the Manchester Evening News hustings taking potshots at the man set next to him for using Makerfield as a mere springboard for his political ambitions, Mr Burnham instead aimed his fire at Reform leader Nigel Farage. Doubtless advised that attacking an amateur politician too personally would be a bad look for a man who's spent two years at the top of politics, he also surely had his eye on the bigger ideological battles to come if he wins next week.
The contrast was played out perfectly in the closing remarks, where Mr Kenyon described himself as "someone who's local, someone who's approachable, someone who's going to stay here and not use this as a stepping stone for other things." He added: "This is a two-horse race, you've got a choice. You can have a vote for someone who'll still be there once you elect them, or you can vote for a cardboard cutout who'll be at the other end of the country. You may as well vote for his PA, as that's who you'll be speaking to."
Burnham Defends Record
Defending his record, Mr Burnham, a former Labour Cabinet Minister, pointed to his support for the Hillsborough families and insisted "it's always been this place where my heart is." But he swiftly pivoted to make a broader point, reflecting on the violence that erupted in Southampton and Belfast after the sentencing of Henry Nowak's killer and the shocking knife attack in Belfast sparked furious political debate. "If this is a two-horse race, just think about this: we've had politicians speaking out and stoking division and then we see violence on our streets. Where are we going? Are we going to become like the United States of America, where people who vote different ways can't talk to people in the workplace or in the street and in their community, or are we going to vote for hope? I have pioneered a new politics in Greater Manchester. Place first, not party first. And I give you all my word, I will work to unite this constituency after this by-election. I will bring people together, I will address their concerns, and that's how I build a better country again."
Farage in the Crosshairs
Mr Burnham clearly had Nigel Farage - who's made highly controversial comments on both Henry Nowak's murder and the Belfast rioting - on his mind when he told the audience of students and invited guests at the college that "politicians and their words have consequences." And responding to Mr Kenyon's observation that the "floodgates have opened" on immigration, he pointed the finger of blame at the policies of former Conservative Minister Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick. Both have in recent months defected to Reform.
It's hard not to imagine Mr Burnham repeating these attack lines on a bigger national stage in the weeks and months to come. But today his big picture analysis came alongside more parochial answers about Wigan's greenbelt and the state of Greater Manchester's health service.
Other Candidates Weigh In
It wasn't the only attack on Burnham during the hustings featuring the Labour and Reform rivals, as well as Green candidate Sarah Wakefield, Liberal Democrat Jake Austin and Conservative Michael Winstanley. Restore Britain's Rebecca Shepherd was invited but did not attend. Mr Kenyon criticised the "hundreds of millions" - later correcting himself to say "millions" - of pounds spent by the Greater Manchester mayoral authority on his controversial pollution-busting clean air zone which was later scrapped. And Conservative Mr Winstanley, a man with impeccable local credentials as a former mayor of Wigan and a veteran local councillor, said the local cost-of-living crisis had been made worse by what he said was the 600% rise (a figure quickly disputed by the mayor) in the mayoral precept levied by Mr Burnham's authority over the years.
Burnham's Pledge for Makerfield
Widely accused by other parties of simply using the Makerfield by-election as a ‘stepping stone’ to Downing Street, the Greater Manchester mayor promised today to ‘feed off’ the by-election to give the area a ‘more powerful political voice than it has ever had before’. He pledged to ‘use that power’ to deliver a ‘contract’ for the constituency if he takes the seat. This will include ‘flooding infrastructure’ so that ‘no home in the constituency is internally flooded’, Mr Burnham said. The full details are expected to be announced in the ‘next few days’. Residents in Platt Bridge, in the constituency, told the Manchester Evening News earlier this month they ‘panic’ every time it rains after some homes flooded multiple times over the last decade. Also among the pledges will be road infrastructure to deal with congestion and changes to development processes so infrastructure is ‘in place’ at the start of the process. A ‘youth zone’ in the constituency is also expected to feature in the contract, along with a ‘permanent GP solution’ in Orrell.
Lib Dem and Green Criticise Reform
For their part, Lib Dem Jake Austin and Green Sarah Wakefield had little negative to say about the Labour would-be Prime Minister, with Ms Wakefield telling the audience she agreed with Mr Burnham and nodding as he answered. But both took their gloves off in their remarks about Robert Kenyon and Reform UK. Sarah Wakefield joked that "we've talked quite a lot about women in this by-election" in a bid to draw attention to his crass comments about women. She said: "There are actually a lot of risks to women's rights at the moment, particularly from the Reform Party, who at the moment are claiming they will form the most pro-women party in history, which I'd actually find funny if I wasn't so worried about it."
Green Belt at the Forefront
Fittingly for a debate at a college on the edge of miles of rolling countryside, the future of the green belt was a major issue. On the winding country roads en route to Winstanley College a plethora of ‘protect our green belt’ signs are plastered on houses in the village. In this green corner of Wigan, it's clear the scheme to build around 432 homes on the land occupied by the decaying Winstanley Hall is a hot topic. Protecting green spaces has been a focal point for the Makerfield by-election candidates in the build up to June 18. A roar of applause for Conservative Michael Winstanley vowing to protect the green belt confirmed this. It triggered all the by-election candidates at the hustings to throw their support behind reducing or stopping green belt development - pandering to the audience full of sixth form college students and local voters. It was a topic that had unanimous agreement. All five panel members wanted to see developers target plots of land nearer closer to towns and transport links before green belt was carved up.
Political Heroes
Mr Winstanley was on less solid ground at the end of the debate. Asked about his political inspiration, he named former Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to groans of derision from the audience who seemingly had little time for his claim that she'd "turned this country around." Asked the same question, Mr Kenyon opted for Winston Churchill who in his words "kept us on the right track and turned things around for us" when Britain was on the verge of being invaded by Germany. Mr Burnham had a fittingly big picture choice for his political hero in the form of Aneurin "Nye" Bevan, the Labour politician who spearheaded the creation of the NHS. "Wouldn't it be great to have a politics again where we have that level of bravery and courage in our politics to bring forward big fixes to some of the things that we all know is wrong in the country today?" he concluded.
