Comment: I know what Burnham needs to hit the jackpot in Makerfield’s ‘Ash Vegas’
The 70,000 voters of Makerfield hold the future of Labour in their hands – but any party would be stupid to take their support for granted, writes former resident Kay Burley, who knows what issues drive them.
“King of the North” Andy Burnham has an almighty fight on his hands if he’s to win the seat of Makerfield at the upcoming by-election.
Nigel Farage’s “pint and a fag” approach plays well in a constituency that, until relatively recently, was staunch Labour. No doubt the leader of Reform will pivot easily into enjoying a meat pie barm cake with the locals when he campaigns for his candidate there. Reform UK made giant inroads in the recent council elections and pollsters suggest the seat, just south of Wigan, where I grew up, is theirs for the taking. Homeownership is higher than the national average and the population skews slightly older.
I know the area well. My sister is still here. These days, it’s a very different dynamic from the one I used to cover for the Evening Post and Chronicle in Wigan in the 1970s and 80s.
The main town, Ashton-in-Makerfield, is known by some as “Ash Vegas” because of its thriving nightlife but some residents claim immigration has made the streets less safe. I was speaking to a friend who lives in the area just today, who told me his neighbours were considering moving to Australia because their daughters can’t go out without feeling scared.
Another told me construction sites “are full of immigrants taking our jobs”. In reality, the area is 97 per cent white according to the latest census data, though it’s fair to say some who have travelled to the UK irregularly have found themselves temporarily housed nearby.
I remember the Makerfield constituency being created in 1983 and covering the miners’ strike that hit hard around the same time. Mining communities were tight-knit; they looked after their own and when a colliery blast killed ten men in nearby Golborne, the community grieved and took strength from each other.
They also developed a hatred for the Conservative Party and the Thatcher years built a red wall strong enough to keep Tory politicians out for decades. But it also prevented their voice from being heard: cue Brexit. In 2016, while the London glitterati were preparing to celebrate at a Remain party I was covering, working-class northerners had other ideas. At a skyscraper on the banks of the Thames, it was Farage who was speaking their language.
He still does. But is it enough to take a seat that has been Labour since its inception? Perhaps, but Andy Burnham is no normal Labour candidate. If anyone can keep the seat red, then he can. Andy is a genuinely decent guy who I have entertained at my home, along with his family. My sister, who lives near him, tells me he is happy to stop for a chat with the checkout lady at Asda. He supports local charities and, I’m told, donates part of his salary to those who need it more.
Generally, he is a polished communicator. I well remember being live on air for Sky News when we broadcast the then Culture Secretary taking an absolute kicking from Liverpool supporters at Anfield. They were furious that justice had not been forthcoming for the 96 fans killed at Hillsborough. Andy Burnham connected with angry Liverpudlians on a human level, acknowledged that the angry chanting had “lit a fire under him” and said it gave him the political courage to challenge his own government. His actions are still remembered with fondness locally.
He hasn’t always got it right, though. I hosted an event in Manchester just last week that had brought £10m to the city. The Mayor was due to be the keynote speaker to discuss re-industrialisation for the city, but he bailed and instead hopped on a train to London to garner support for his political ambitions, leaving frustration and anger in his wake. A misstep, but the stakes are too high for many more of those before polling day.
The thinking is that the good people of Makerfield will be spooked by the suggestion that Britain could rejoin the Euro fold. What I'm saying is, don't underestimate those good people. Like many communities across the Northwest, Brexit was never just about Europe: it was about identity, frustration and feeling ignored. Farage is speaking the language of some, but not all. Locals will give all sides a fair hearing on who is the best candidate to give them a voice in Westminster. No political party should take them for granted.
Trust is personal for the 70,000 voters of Makerfield. It’s a place trying to hold on to pride in its past while uncertain about its future. That makes it volatile, but also politically alert. It’s why no one should assume the voters of Ashton, Ince, Platt Bridge and so on already know how they’ll vote next. They’ll listen, weigh it up and then decide for themselves.
