The Green Party has selected Chris Kennedy, a nurse and children's safeguarding specialist, as its candidate for the Makerfield byelection scheduled for June 18. Kennedy was chosen after a hustings on Wednesday, amid reports that the party is wary of investing significant resources in the contest due to fears of splitting the progressive vote and enabling Reform to win.
Internal Debate Over Campaign Strategy
According to the Financial Times, senior Green Party figures are keen to avoid being blamed for allowing Reform to secure victory, and some have suggested clearing the path for Labour's Andy Burnham. One senior party figure told the FT: "We do not want this one to go to Reform, and to be quite frank, we do not want Labour to turn around and say, ‘If you vote Green, you’re actually voting Reform’, because that will be used for the next three years."
The Guardian previously reported that the Greens were engaged in a "very civilised" internal debate about how to challenge Burnham. A senior Green noted: "The debate is what the campaign would look like. There is a world of difference between turning up to the hustings with a bit of leafleting, and what we saw in [the] Gorton and Denton [byelection, which the Green party won]." They added that "throwing everything at it" would require a national-level decision from the party, which covers England and Wales.
Candidate and Leadership Statements
Green Party leader Zack Polanski described Kennedy as a "fantastic candidate" and stated that the byelection is about "who is making the case for lower bills, warmer and more affordable homes and a greener and fairer economy." However, Polanski also emphasized that the party would use the byelection to press Burnham on his track record and recent interviews, questioning his commitment to fair voting, public ownership, and a genuinely new economic settlement. "We’d like to know which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up," Polanski added.
Kennedy expressed pride in his selection, saying: "We want to defend our area against the politics of hate and division and bring people together around a positive vision for the future. At the same time, we can’t let this election be dominated by a Westminster psychodrama."
Other Candidates and Context
Kennedy was chosen by local party members. According to the Times, the frontrunner had been Hayley Pierce, a portrait artist, but her prospects may have been damaged by social media posts published by the newspaper. If Burnham wins the byelection, he is expected to challenge Keir Starmer as prime minister. Reform has selected Robert Kenyon, a plumber, as its candidate, while the Conservatives have chosen Michael Winstanley, a former mayor of Wigan.
