Andy Burnham to face Reform’s Robert Kenyon in crucial Makerfield byelection | Makerfield byelection

Andy Burnham will face Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon in next month’s crucial Makerfield by-election, a clash that could change the course of British politics for years to come.

Reform bills Kenyon, a plumber and army reservist who is running for the seat just outside Wigan in the 2024 general election, as a local champion against a professional politician who is using the seat for his own gain.

However, Kenyon faced immediate scrutiny for his social media activities. Deleted posts on X show him casting doubt on the effectiveness of a vaccine, interacting with a Dutch far-right extremist, and praising Donald Trump. Conservatives also asked why Kenyon’s account was suspended.

Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, was chosen by Labour’s national executive committee. Although other candidates applied, there were no other candidates on the shortlist. The by-election is expected to be held on June 18.

Burnham has been open about her desire to return to Westminster to change Labor’s direction at the national level, and it is widely assumed she will bid for the leadership against Keir Starmer if she wins. In a statement, he said he was honored to have been chosen and promised to shine a light on parts of England such as Makerfield, which he said were neglected.

Party leader Nigel Farage, who announced Kenyon as the Reform candidate, described the by-election as a “David and Goliath battle”.

In a video released by Reform, Kenyon took aim at Burnham and said she was using Makerfield as a stepping stone; Although Burnham’s family home was nearby, it was a possible line of attack in the coming weeks.

“Labour and probably other parties have career politicians. They go to private school, they go to university, they get a job at a think tank or they become an MP’s assistant and then before you know it they’re parachuting into a place they’ve never visited to become an MP,” he said.

Kenyon, who was born in Makerfield and previously worked as a specialist NHS technician in Lancashire, came second in the 2024 election, 5,399 votes behind Labour’s Josh Simons, who last week announced he would give up his position so Burnham could launch her bid to return to Westminster.

Archived copies of Kenyon’s

Following the murder of three young children in Southport, Kenyon responded to a post by prominent Dutch influencer Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who was among 11 far-right activists banned from the UK ahead of a rally last weekend. Kenyon asked him: “Is there a definition of an attacker?”

He also expressed his support for the US president in a series of posts, telling another user X: “Trump is very popular, but not in your liberal circle.”

Labor and Reform are the favorites in the by-election but they face challenges from left and right. Restore Britain, the openly far-right party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, has named local businesswoman Rebecca Shepherd as its candidate and ran targeted Facebook ads in Makerfield on Tuesday. The Greens are expected to nominate a candidate on Wednesday.

Starmer chaired a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning after another leadership rival, Wes Streeting, resigned as health minister.

The Prime Minister later used an event in Downing Street to praise the impact of the Tenants’ Rights Bill, which provides new protections for tenants. “We had to fight for this,” he said. “This isn’t just dry legislation on the statute books… It’s making a real impact for tenants across the country.”

Starmer refused to consider the idea of ​​setting a timetable for resignation, saying he hoped to lead the party at the next election.

Mark Drakeford, Wales’ Labor first minister from 2018 to 2024, said on Tuesday he wanted Burnham to replace Starmer.

“I think Keir Starmer needs to set out a timetable for leadership change in the UK Labor Party and in the UK itself,” he told Channel 4 News.

“He is a decent guy who works extremely hard every day to be at his best, but circumstances and capacity combined mean all is not well and it is time to recognize that and make a plan to move forward.”