In Ashton-in-Makerfield, the high street buzzes with activity as television cameras and reporters gather. A car rolls past, window down, and a voice shouts: 'Andy Burnham!' Such enthusiastic support for a Labour politician might seem surprising, given that Reform UK won 24 out of 25 seats in the recent Wigan borough elections, while Keir Starmer's party secured none. But Burnham is no ordinary Labour politician.
Burnham's Bold Move
The Greater Manchester mayor has announced his intention to contest the Makerfield seat after the sitting MP, Josh Simons, agreed to step aside. This is arguably the biggest risk of Burnham's political career. If Labour fielded any other candidate, Reform would be odds-on to take the seat, which Simons won in 2024 with a majority of just over 5,000 votes.
Local Business Views
Pete Thompson, who runs Revolving Records, is cautiously optimistic about Burnham but less so about his chances. 'Given the choice, I would say Andy Burnham is a better figurehead than our prime minister,' he said. 'Let's see where that goes, but he's got to get in first, hasn't he? That is not going to be easy, I don't think, not with what Reform have done locally.'
Ryan Fairhurst, a hairdresser, has switched to Reform after voting Labour all his life. He likes that Nigel Farage 'is a businessman' and hopes his party would 'start more investment into local businesses.' 'We're not really seeing it, are we? We see more local businesses closing down,' he added.
Peter Cain, a butcher, may vote for Burnham but hasn't decided yet. He thinks Burnham is 'more in reality with what's going on' but will have a 'tough fight on' against Reform. However, he added: 'I don't think Reform has got any pedigree, have they? That's your problem. You're asking somebody who's never run anything before.'
Home Turf Advantage
Makerfield is a tougher challenge than other Greater Manchester seats Burnham reportedly considered. But he hopes his record as mayor and his 'Manchesterism' brand of politics can succeed where others would fail. Living just over the border in Leigh, he is on home turf. Many voters feel Burnham understands their needs in a way most politicians do not.
'He's just down to earth, isn't he? He's one of us, he is a local lad,' said Colin Holmes, owner of the Coffee Shop, adding he would '100%' vote for Burnham. His wife and business partner, Donna Holmes, agreed: 'I've got every faith in Andy, because he understands, he's from a working background himself, he understands what people are going through. He listens, and he gets amongst people, and he understands hardship as well.'
Support from Independent Businesses
Fran Kennedy, co-owner of the Cupcakery, said: 'He knows what it is like to be a working-class citizen, whereas a lot of the politicians don't. We need somebody in the Labour party, for the government, that actually knows what it's like to be from a struggling town.' As mayor, 'he did really, really well for public transport. It obviously helped a lot of people, which is something that's obviously needed. It's made it cheaper for a lot of people, and made it more convenient to get from A to B.'
While some have concerns about Burnham using the constituency to further his own ambition, most welcome the idea of a Makerfield prime minister. 'We need a bit of something to uplift us all a little bit,' Kennedy said, 'because we've got so much potential in this little town.'
Personal Popularity Key
If Burnham succeeds, it will be due to his personal popularity, not the Labour brand. Kevin Whittaker, an ex-tank commander, is not a natural Labour voter but plans to back Burnham. 'I think he'd do good if he got in No 10. I've been conservative most of my life, even through my army days, but no, he's kind of won me over. I like his policies and everything, he seems more direct. He's more positive, more committed to the cause, I think. I've never been a good supporter of Mr Starmer. He's a bit weak, I'd think.'
Donna Holmes believes Burnham will succeed despite Labour's negative publicity. 'The way things have been going, I don't think they've had a lot of good publicity, with one thing or another, but I think Andy will pull it back.' She often sees him at the local Asda supermarket, where 'he'll be walking round and he'll stop and he will chat. All the old ladies, he's chatting away to them all. They all like him, he's got a good reputation, especially round here. I think he'll do well. He's got my vote anyway.'
