Nigel Farage has posted what appears to be an AI-generated image of a group of migrants in a dinghy holding up placards supporting Andy Burnham. The image shows smiling individuals waving red signs with the slogan 'Vote Andy For Us' alongside a cartoon of the Greater Manchester mayor.
Alongside the image on X, Farage wrote: 'Andy Burnham is for them, not for you. Vote Reform in Makerfield.' The Reform UK leader's post targets Burnham's immigration policy, a key issue in the Makerfield parliamentary seat Burnham hopes to win on June 18.
In a tongue-in-cheek response, Burnham said: 'Are you getting desperate, lad? Maybe keep your crypto millions for something else.' This references the controversy over a £5 million donation Farage received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the 2024 general election.
Farage then shared a screenshot of an article claiming the Greater Manchester Combined Authority plans to spend £700,000 on helping refugees overcome 'barriers to accessing housing, welfare and local services'. He wrote: 'Your scheme will provide housing and benefits to people who came here illegally. I prefer to put the British people first.'
Reform has repeatedly attacked Burnham over his perceived softness on immigration as he campaigns to return to parliament, amid speculation he may challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. The Makerfield seat is in Wigan, which voted Leave by roughly 63% in the Brexit referendum.
Burnham previously called for scrapping the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) restriction on immigrants claiming benefits but reversed this stance last week. He also declared that net migration 'needs to fall further' after the Office for National Statistics reported UK net migration at 171,000 last year, one of the lowest rates this century.
Recent Survation polling puts Burnham in the lead with 43%, just 3% ahead of Reform's Robert Kenyon. Businesswoman Rebecca Shepherd (Restore UK) has 7%, Liberal Democrats 4%, Greens 3%, and Conservatives 2%.
