Makerfield: Does the ‘King of the North’ have what it takes to keep this post-industrial town red?

TIsn’t the country in chaos? This is terrible and Starmer is doing nothing,” says Joan Preston.

The 82-year-old leader was a lifelong Labor voter until Sir Keir Starmer became leader of the party, but he left the party believing it was no longer a party for the working class. But a change may be about to win him back.

“If Andy Burnham stood up I’d go Labor,” he says Independent In Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester.

“We’ve always voted Labor, our whole family. If he were still here, my father would say to me: ‘What do you mean you’re not voting Labour? They’re for the people. They’re for working people’. Burnham is for working people.”

This market town, four miles south of Wigan, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight this week when Labor MP Josh Simons announced he was standing down to make room for Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to attempt to return to parliament; this move was expected to challenge Sir Keir for the Labor leadership if he won the seat of Makerfield.

It comes as Sir Keir clings to his premiership following dismal local election results that saw Labor lose almost 1,500 councilors and control of councils across the country.

These consequences were keenly felt in this former coal mining hotspot of the North West.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK made big gains in Labor’s historic northern districts in local elections, including here where it won 24 of 25 seats on Wigan Council.

Ten of these wards are wholly or partly within the Makerfield parliamentary constituency, and Reform candidates won every one of them.

Following these stunning results, Mr Farage said his party would “throw everything away” in the upcoming by-elections, posing a significant threat to Mr Burnham’s chances of success.

Historically one of Labour’s safest seats, Makerfield has been held by the party since its founding in 1983. At one point he boasted more than 20,000 votes, but as Reform ate into Labour’s vote share, Mr Simons was elected with a much smaller majority of 5,000 at the last general election.

But as Labor prepares for a leadership contest that will decide their fate at the next general election, the hope on the party’s left is that the popular Greater Manchester mayor is the best choice to stop Mr Farage’s rise, especially in his most loyalist areas.

If Mr Burnham is the man to beat Reformation in the general election, he will have to prove it here first.

Ms Preston believes the mayor is certainly the man to do it when she is re-elected in 2024, having won in every ward except Greater Manchester.

“I think he can beat Farage,” he says. “But more importantly he could get rid of Starmer. I think he would be a great prime minister.”

Like Mr Burnham, Ms Preston is originally from Merseyside and believes the mayor’s campaign work with Hillsborough families is testament to how he stands up for working-class communities.

“I am confident that when he sees the mess we are in, he will help change it,” he adds.

Most of the people talking Independent They believe Labor in Ashton has not truly represented such post-industrial areas for some time, but say Mr Burnham will win back their votes.

There is no loss of affection here for Sir Keir, who voters believe has shown the party is no longer for them.

“I haven’t voted Labor for a while because of Starmer, because of all the wrongs that have been done, and because I don’t think they’re on our side anymore,” says retired support worker Shelley Briody, 68.

“The situation changed when Tony Blair came to power and that was the beginning of the end of the Labor Party,” he adds.

But like Ms. Preston, Ms. Briody feels invigorated by the prospect of seeing Mr. Burnham’s name on the ballot.

He says he is the only Labor politician who can win him back into the party.

“Who else can bring us?” he asks. “Negative [Peter] Mandelson and others, take them away. I think Burnham will be the one.”

Ms Biody says Mr Burnham’s desire to improve transport links in the north is central to his appeal and is evidence of what he can deliver to the region as an MP.

As mayor he is currently working on a project to build a new station in the Golborne area of ​​Wigan, which has not had a rail link since the 1960s, and Ms Briody believes it is long overdue.

Asked whether Mr Burnham could reconnect the party to its roots as Labor leader, he said: “I hope so, because that’s what the party needs.

“It’s incredible that Reform wiped out 24 seats because Wigan is notorious for being Labour.”

The view among supporters of Mr Burnham, who was born on the outskirts of Liverpool, grew up in nearby Culcheth and represented Leigh in parliament from 2001 to 2017, is that he understands places like Ashton in a way that few of his colleagues do. They believe he can reconnect with his voters.

He won 66 per cent of the vote in Wigan in his last election and his personal popularity in the North West of England should not be underestimated.

But Reform’s local election performance underscores how close this race could be. It will test the limits of the Burnham brand.

But not everyone is enamored with the idea of ​​the mayor remaining in this seat.

“I feel like we’ve gotten used to being honest,” says Gillian Smith, 71. “Since the election results were announced last week, there has been talk that Burnham is the man to push Starmer out.

“I thought: Which poor constituency is going to suffer? I never thought it would be us in Makerfield.”

Ms Smith, a Conservative voter who switched her allegiance to Reform when it was founded as the Brexit Party, is not interested in being part of the psychodrama of the Labor leadership race.

He will vote for Reformation instead because he says it represents “the old-fashioned values ​​we were brought up with.” Labor is furious at how its government is treating pensioners after controversial planned changes to winter fuel payments sparked a backlash and led to one of many major U-turns for the party.

“I think Reform recognizes that pensioners are in a bad position. I think they will keep the triple lock on pensions, which is very important.”

Lifelong Labor voter Shah Khan, 80, is also suspicious of the Burnham campaign and believes the seat is “undoubtedly” being used to facilitate the mayor’s career ambitions.

He tried to stand in the Gorton and Denton byelections in February but was blocked by senior Labor officials before the party finished an embarrassing third behind the Greens and Reform. Mr Shah believes standing in this seat is pure opportunism on Mr Burnham’s part.

“I voted for Keir Starmer and his Labor Party, not for an outsider whose main goal is to be the next prime minister,” he says.

“I think this is a betrayal to the people of Ashton.”

Principal Andy Connellan, 68, doesn’t see it that way. A committed voter, he would be happy to vote for Mr Burnham as he believes he will represent the area well and the country needs new leadership.

He says: “This doesn’t work for Starmer. But Burnham is straightforward, speaks very logically and seems to get things done, where she connects with a lot of people.”

“But there was such a big swing towards the Reformation that [at the locals]. “I don’t know if he can call all these people to vote for him.”

Kevan and Patricia Ball, both 82, will definitely vote for Mr Burnham if he gets on the ballot. Neither has party affiliation, but both want the chance to vote for their mayor and return him to parliament.

“I admire him for the work he has done for Greater Manchester as mayor,” Ms Ball says.

“Burnham understands the working class,” Mr. Ball adds. “He was the MP for Leigh next door and we have the same problems as Leigh.”

“I’m not a fan of Keir Starmer at all. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Burnham is a real man.”

Whether his fellow voters share this view and see Mr Burnham as a clear break from Sir Keir will go a long way in determining whether the “King in the North” can win this seat.