Just three months after Wigan voters inflicted a heavy defeat on Labour, the party has staged a dramatic recovery in two by-elections that followed.
Labour had controlled the borough council since it was formed in the 1970s, but in May's local elections Reform UK won 24 of the 25 seats contested, with Labour failing to win in any ward. The party retained control of the local authority only because it was mathematically impossible for it to lose, with just one-third of seats up for grabs. That outcome left Labour fearful about what could happen when the next third of seats are voted on in May 2027.
Jo Platt, Labour MP for Leigh and Atherton, told the Manchester Evening News at the time: "They wanted to give us a kicking and they have. This is about the voters. This is about listening and that's what we've got to take stock of locally and nationally. We have got to listen to what they have said and it starts tomorrow."
Burnham's Makerfield victory
Two significant by-elections have since transformed the political picture. Andy Burnham put his popularity to the test in Makerfield, where he won 54 per cent of the vote — finishing more than 9,000 votes ahead of Reform UK's Rob Kenyon.
Craig's Wigan landslide
In the Greater Manchester mayoral election, Labour's Bev Craig took 47 per cent of the vote in the first round across the region, with Reform's Sian Astley on 34 per cent. After second preferences were distributed between the top two, Craig swept to victory with 66 per cent.
In Wigan, Craig's performance was particularly strong. She finished first in the borough in the first round with 26,200 votes, while Astley secured 16,830. After second preferences were added, Craig totalled 29,219 to Astley's 21,751 — a final share of 57.3 per cent to 42.7 per cent.
Other candidates
Of the other mayoral candidates eliminated in the first round, Marlon West of Restore Britain came third with 5,661 votes. Conservative Phil Eckersley received 3,233, Green Geraldine Coggins 2,737, Liberal Democrat Richard Kilpatrick 739, and independent Marcus Farmer 377.
With Andy Burnham now Prime Minister and Bev Craig as mayor, attention turns once more to next May's local elections, where Labour will hope to sustain its momentum in a borough some believed it had lost for good only months ago.
