The good folk of the Makerfield constituency can now — mostly — walk to the shops without being asked for their opinion on Andy Burnham's transport policy, as the circus surrounding this week's make-or-break by-election packed up after a tumultuous few weeks.
On the face of it, the political situation isn't that different from a few weeks ago: Makerfield still has a Labour MP. But after his unexpectedly comfortable winning margin in the early hours of this morning over his Reform UK rival, newly-elected Mr Burnham will now be using the seat to launch a bid to oust Prime Minister Keir Starmer and (he hopes) give Labour a fighting chance of staying in power for more than one term.
Burnham's Victory Speech
Leaving the election count "for a pint" in the early hours after winning 55% of the vote, Mr Burnham was next seen addressing ecstatic supporters at a rally at Ashton Town Football Club's ground a few hours later. With his predecessor as Makerfield MP, Josh Simons, looking on, he called for reindustrialisation, reforms to Whitehall and an end to the “unfairness” of the immigration system, which he said people had raised frequently on doorsteps during his campaign.
“We’ve been on a path for 40 years that simply hasn’t worked for people and places in this part of the world, and this now is the change moment,” Burnham said. “We have an opportunity to turn the tide, to make the country feel like it’s working again, to make people see that politics can make a positive difference, to make people feel hope again.”
Shortly after, there was a press scramble with Mr Burnham gently jogging to keep ahead of the pack. One journalist shouted ‘come on Andy answer some questions’ as the Labour MP quickly worked his way through the club house picnic tables. Mr Burnham didn't answer questions, but his ally Lou Haigh — a former Labour Transport Secretary — told reporters: “I hope the Prime Minister takes the weekend to really reflect on the result here, listen to soundings from the cabinet and from the PLP, because all the evidence suggests that that contest would be brutal, it would be unpleasant, and it would be very unlikely the Prime Minister could win at the end of it.”
Farage Disappointed
Mr Burnham's unexpected 9,000 vote winning margin in Makerfield gave rival parties plenty to think about. Reflecting this morning, Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said he was “disappointed” with the party’s vote share for its plumber candidate Rob Kenyon. In a video message published on social media, Mr Farage said Reform had been “hoist with our own petard” after claiming Labour adopted his party’s message of “get Starmer out” on the doorstep by asking voters to support Mr Burnham. Mr Kenyon won 34.5% of the vote compared with Mr Burnham's 54.8%. Restore Britain's candidate Rebecca Shepherd got 6.8%, and it was a sobering result for the Greens, Lib Dems and Tories who all lost their deposits.
The Count and Local Reaction
Local Democracy Reporter Charlotte Hall and the M.E.N.'s Iram Ramzan got plenty of colour from The Edge leisure centre in Wigan during its spell as the epicentre of the political world. "There was a man dressed as a fox. Count Binface was inspecting the quality of the toilets in the venue, and each member of the Monster Raving Loony Party sported headgear more elaborate than the previous one," they write. "The journalists found a good spot in the media room and drank copious amounts of badly made coffee. Even the snacks had a local flavour. There was a bowl of Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls, which are made in a factory in Wigan."
On the streets of Ashton-in-Makerfield this morning, relief, hope, and a dash of scepticism were all part of the mix of feelings. Chris Leech, in Hindley, got straight to the point when asked how he’s feeling about it all: “I’ve never had so much junk mail pushed through my door, it’s been unreal. It just goes straight into the recycling.” Ashton resident Alan Lowe, 53, was taking his Labrador Stanley for an early morning stroll and stopped to chat about the result. “I don’t think Burnham will be MP here for long – there were circumstances yesterday that won’t be there for a general election,” he said. “It was oppressive and aggressive from the parties.” Pauline Barker, 78, was taking her cockapoo Scooby to the groomers. She said: “I’m okay with last night’s result. Andy Burnham has a track record as Manchester mayor. Since the Bee Network was set up I’ve noticed the buses are frequent and more on time.” Steve Johnson, 59, popping out to buy a newspaper, added: “The result was no surprise to me – Burnham was popular as Manchester mayor and he’s carried that support. I’m hopeful that having such a high-profile MP will be good for Ashton and he can deliver. The town definitely needs it.”
Who's Next for Greater Manchester Mayor?
A by-election to replace Andy Burnham as Greater Manchester mayor will happen on July 30. For Labour, Bev Craig is the likely candidate. She's served as leader of Manchester council since 2021, when she became the first woman to hold the post. Dan Barker could be the choice for Reform UK, sources within the party have said. He was the Reform candidate in the 2024 mayoral election. And there are seemingly three names in the frame for the Green Party: Geraldine Coggins, Laurence Blackwell-Jones, and Ashley Trigg. Recent changes to the voting system for mayoral elections will be a huge talking point. Rather than a first-past-the-post system, if no candidate gets 50% of the vote, the race is whittled down to the top two and takes into account the second preferences from other candidates' voters. That is likely to benefit Labour more than Reform UK.
Weather and Travel
Weather: Sunny intervals and light winds. 21C max. Roads: A34 John Dalton Street in both directions closed due to emergency repairs and roadworks from A56 Deansgate to Cross Street until June 26. A671 Rochdale Road, Royton, northbound closed for roadworks from Middleton Road to Market Square until January 29. A58 Gerard Street Westbound, Ashton-in-Makerfield closed due to roadworks from A5062 Wigan Road to A58/A49 (Kings Arms traffic lights) until November 22.
