Makerfield Election: A Direct Challenge to Mayor Burnham
Reform UK activists are actively campaigning against Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in the upcoming Makerfield by-election, asserting that the region has not benefited from the economic revitalization seen in Manchester’s city center. A loss for Labour in this traditionally safe seat could present a significant setback for Burnham’s political ambitions.
Robert Kenyon, a Reform candidate, argues that the constituents he aims to represent have been overlooked amidst the city’s newfound prosperity. “Absolutely not,” Kenyon stated, summarizing the sentiment of many in Makerfield with the pointed phrase: “We’ve been ignored.” He contends that if Labour is unseated in Makerfield for the first time in its history, it will serve as a clear demonstration of “democracy in action,” proving that “you can’t take people for granted.”
Identity and Neglect
Kenyon further elaborated that the voters he needs to persuade do not strongly identify with the broader “Greater Manchester” label. “If you met anyone from Wigan on holiday, [not] one of them would say [they came from] Greater Manchester. They’d say Wigan or Lancashire. That’s our identity that goes back hundreds and hundreds of years,” he explained.
Paul Watson, a Reform councillor in Wigan, offered a critical perspective on the current administration’s efforts to enhance the wider region. “The reality is that his investment rarely seems to travel beyond the inner ring of the M60,” Watson alleged. Official figures from Wigan Council indicate a decline in job numbers, falling from 129,000 in 2019 to 110,000 in 2024. Additionally, the proportion of pupils achieving a grade 4-9 in GCSE English and Maths has decreased from 71% in the 2019-20 academic year to 60.8% in 2024-25.
“The further you get from Manchester city centre, the less attention communities like Makerfield receive,” Watson continued. “While Manchester enjoys new developments, transport investment and economic growth, our towns have been left behind through years of neglect and underinvestment… Our once-thriving town centres have been hollowed out, replaced by a revolving door of vape shops, barbers and charity shops, while many of our brightest young people are forced to leave the borough in search of better jobs and better prospects.”
“Vanity Projects” and Dying Town Centers
Fellow Reform councillor Lee Moffitt echoed these sentiments, claiming that outlying towns and villages have been “bled” dry while “vanity projects” are prioritized in the city center. “Whilst Manchester enjoys its wonderful Manhattan-style skyline our town centres are universally dying a slow and very painful death,” Moffitt stated.
Aspiring MP Kenyon identified the feeling of being disregarded as the “common theme that runs throughout this campaign.”
The campaign of Mr. Burnham was invited to provide a statement in response.
