Burnham byelection: the small town that could decide next PM – The Latest

伯恩汉姆补选:这个小城镇可能决定下一任首相——最新消息

Today in Focus

2026-05-16

12 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Andy Burnham may have a route back to Westminster – and a path to the Labour leadership. But first the Greater Manchester mayor must win a byelection in Makerfield, where Nigel Farage has vowed Reform UK will ‘throw absolutely everything’ at the contest. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s north of England correspondent Hannah al-Othman, who has been talking to voters in the constituency. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • This is The Guardian.

  • MIT Sloan Executive Education, offering dynamic short programs tailored for mid-career professionals looking to build expertise

  • in innovation, leadership and technology.

  • Details at executive. mit. edu.

  • Senses it feels quite positive for Andy Burnham this is his home turf and they 've said you know he 's a local lad

  • he 's one of us he understands what it 's like the Labour Party MP Josh Simons is standing down as the MP in Makerfield

  • in the northwest in the Wigan area to make way for Andy Burnham It 's been harder

  • to find support for reform than I thought.

  • And I don't think that it's because there's support for Labour, but it's because there's support for Andy Burnham.

  • It's not unanimous by any means.

  • So that may change when reforms start turning up, throwing everything at it, as I'm sure they will.

  • The Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has found a route back to Parliament,

  • but he needs to win a critical by-election burst that reform are set to throw the kitchen sink at.

  • From the Guardians today in Focus, this is the latest with me, Lucy Holt.

  • Well, I'm joined by Hannah Al-Othman, literally on the road in Makerfield,

  • where this very critical by-election is soon to take place,

  • where Josh Simons, the Labour MP, has agreed to stand down to pave the way for the Mayor

  • of Greater Manchester to stand for a seat in Parliament.

  • First of all, Hannah, just tell me a bit about Makerfield, what it's like as a constituency.

  • So Makerfield sort of on the outskirts of Greater Manchester is in the borough of Wigan.