Two weeks before the Makerfield by-election that could decide his political future, Andy Burnham edged closer to declaring a leadership bid – while focus groups revealed the depth of anger among former Labour voters who have abandoned the party.
Appearing on BBC Question Time, the Greater Manchester mayor and Labour candidate said: “I think Wes Streeting seems to have launched a leadership contest, so if that is running, I would seek to join it. But I’d have to persuade members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to do the same.” The careful phrasing – joining rather than triggering a contest – was an attempt to avoid appearing presumptuous, but it goaded Downing Street into an immediate rebuttal. A No10 spokesman said: “The Labour Party has a process for challenging a leader and it has not been triggered. The prime minister will not walk away from the mandate he was given just two years ago.”
“Andy Burnham hints at leadership bid as Makerfield voters express fury at Keir Starmer's government in focus groups.”
Burnham, who has built a personal brand over nine years as mayor, is gambling everything on a return to Westminster. The constituency voted Leave by 65 per cent in 2016, and Reform UK is throwing everything at blocking his path, hoping to deliver a humiliating defeat for Labour. On Friday, Burnham attempted to set out a national pitch on BBC Newsnight, promising a 20% cut in business rates for pubs – “typically worth about £5,000 a year” – and vowing to ask Dame Louise Casey to produce her social care findings this year rather than the proposed 2028.
But the scale of the challenge was laid bare in exclusive focus groups carried out for the New Statesman by Merlin Strategy, which spoke to ten Makerfield residents who voted Labour in 2024. Half had switched to Reform; the rest were undecided. Among the Reform voters, hatred for Keir Starmer was visceral. “I’ve never been lied to like I have been by Keir,” said one man. Rachel Reeves was described as “a thief” who “hits the likes of us harder” with tax rises. “I don’t think anything’s being run properly, and I think the things that were promised… they’ve not been done,” said a woman. The cost of living dominated their complaints: “The streets are like Mad Max … every single shop [is] a barber shop or a vape shop,” said one participant. “People can’t afford to live any more,” added another. Immigration was blamed for housing pressures and the cost of living.
Burnham also addressed the issue of knife crime on Question Time, saying carrying knives for religious reasons “needs to be looked at” – a debate prompted by the killer of Henry Nowak carrying a kirpan, a Sikh sword or dagger. If Burnham wins in Makerfield, Downing Street knows the pressure on Starmer will become almost unbearable. If he loses, Reform will claim a scalp and Labour’s existential crisis will deepen.