Jacob Rees-Mogg calls for Reform and Tories to ‘come together’ to beat Andy Burnham in Makerfield by-election
Jacob Rees-Mogg has called on Conservatives and Reform UK to “work together” to defeat Andy Burnham in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
The former Tory cabinet minister said the contest was a “golden opportunity for the right to unite” in a bid to give Labor a “bad surprise” in a crucial by-election.
“The favorite to win in Makerfield is of course Labor,” he said. “So what does this mean? I think my party, the Conservative Party and Reform should work together in the national interest.”
The by-election in the North West constituency marks Mr Burnham’s final hurdle before he officially launches his leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.
Describing Mr Burnham as a “threat” who could be “worse than Starmer” as prime minister, Sir Jacob said Labor winning the by-election would “push him into office”.
“This is a seat that will make it easier for him to win if the right is divided. So I’d like to see a preliminary idea of what we could do in the general election – two parties coming together overwhelmingly to work together in the national interest.”
Sir Jacob added: “Voters may recognize the advantages of tactical voting. But wouldn’t it make more sense for the two leaders, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, to see an opportunity to work together, to show that politicians can come together and do things that will benefit the country at large?”
Sir Jacob also said Telegram: “I actually suggested we pull over at Gorton and Denton [by-election] So I think a mutual agreement would be an excellent idea.
But Ms Badenoch rejected the Reform deal with the Conservative Party, telling GB News: “We will be standing as candidates in this election. Everyone should compete and people in the constituency should have a choice about who they want to represent them.”
Labor MP and former Starmer ally Josh Simons announced last week that he would resign as MP for Makerfield to give the Mayor of Greater Manchester the chance to return to parliament.
But it will not be an easy fight for Mr Burnham in a constituency where the Labor vote has collapsed in the months since the general election.
Mr Simons won the seat by just 5,399 votes against Reform UK in the 2024 general election. Since then, Labor’s polls have collapsed while Reform’s polls have been on the rise.
This month’s local elections saw Mr Farage’s party win all council areas in the Makerfield constituency, receiving around half the vote. Labour, with just over a quarter of the vote, was left behind.
But Burnham is ranked as Britain’s most popular politician by pollster YouGov, with 35 per cent of people having a positive view of him.
But he hopes his personal popularity will carry him to victory in the by-election and prove he can beat back Reformation in the next general election.
