Retired teacher Alison Myler is still undecided about her vote in next month's Makerfield by-election, but Andy Burnham comes highly recommended. One of the 64-year-old's friends taught the young Burnham at a local high school. 'She speaks very highly of him,' Ms Myler told The Mirror on Gerard Street in Ashton-in-Makerfield. 'She said he was a very diligent student, well behaved and had a good family — so that's as good a recommendation as any.' This anecdote undercuts Reform's attempts to portray the Greater Manchester Mayor as an outsider seeking any seat for a Westminster comeback.
Pensioner Marge Glover, 77, shopping on the high street, said: 'I'm voting Labour — for Andy Burnham. I've always voted Labour, and my roots are Labour. I think Andy Burnham has done a cracking job as Mayor of Greater Manchester, and I think he'll do a cracking job here.' Asked if she believes he will win against Nigel Farage's Reform, which is pouring resources into the constituency, she replied: 'I do, I hope so anyway. He's a local lad, he lives just down the road, and we know him. I just think he will win.'
Local support and doubts
Retired local government officer Christine Charnock-Jones, a lifelong Labour voter, said: 'I'm going to vote for Andy Burnham because he's quite loyal to this area. I've worked with him in the past; he's a top bloke. I just don't think there's anybody else for this by-election, to be honest.' However, she added: 'I think it's going to be a two-horse race. I think it's going to be very close.'
Not everyone is convinced. Andrew Sutherly, 56, who works in complaints, said he is yet to decide but will vote — 'definitely not' for Labour, blaming the party's VAT on independent schools. 'I don't think it matters either way because whoever gets in will get in; we're only a small part of the cog across the country,' he said, also criticising the cost of the by-election and a potential mayoral race if Mr Burnham wins.
Campaign launch and stakes
The residents spoke as Mr Burnham officially launched his campaign outside Stubshaw Cross Community and Sports Club on Friday. 'Hope is in the air, can you feel it?' he told dozens of supporters, party activists, and Labour MPs, including former Cabinet minister Louise Haigh, government chief whip Jonathan Reynolds, and Josh Simons, who resigned as Makerfield's MP to clear the way for Mr Burnham's comeback.
The stakes could not be higher. If Labour holds the seat it has held since 1983, the Greater Manchester Mayor is expected to launch a bid to replace Keir Starmer. Victory in this Brexit-voting constituency would give weary Labour MPs hope after the local elections drubbing a fortnight ago. But if the 'King of the North' is defeated on his own turf and Labour's 5,399 majority is wiped out, expect greater chaos in Labour's ranks, potentially triggering a leadership challenge. Mr Burnham's hopes of becoming Prime Minister would become a distant memory. Voters will deliver their verdict in under four weeks in one of the most consequential by-elections for a generation.
