A masterclass in captured hearts and captured vibes – that was how Labour’s Andy Burnham ran his byelection campaign in Makerfield, a victory that the New Statesman has called “Labour’s last lifeline”. In Stubbshaw Cross Community Club, hope was palpable. But the magazine warned that the sense of decline draped across the country has not lifted, pointing to an economic dashboard flashing red: debt too high, growth too low, living standards stagnant. “Makerfield must light the blue touchpaper for a controlled explosion,” it wrote, “shaping change rather than resisting it”.
The win has prompted a debate about Keir Starmer’s future. On Channel 4 News, Krishnan Guru-Murthy spoke to James Lyons, Starmer’s former strategic communications chief, and Kelly Beaver, chief executive of Ipsos, about how “extraordinarily turbulent” politics will play out next. The New Statesman urged leadership “that treats it as its job to force Labour to face resolutely outward”, insisting that hope marshalled well must turn into results.
“Andy Burnham’s Makerfield byelection win is Labour’s ‘last lifeline’, but economic woes and Chinese-funded Manchester developments loom.”
Meanwhile, the backdrop of Burnham’s Manchester – the city he championed – is laced with controversy over Chinese money. An investigation by UnHerd found that developments such as the New Vic are “partly funded by Chinese money, though we don’t know how much because the local council keeps it secret”. Like 40% of Manchester new builds, these apartments are “raised to house generation rent”. The piece describes Pinnacle, a UK developer that went into administration in 2017, leaving off-plan buyers in Hong Kong short some £31 million. Manchester police and the Serious Fraud Squad investigated but no charges were laid. A Hong Kong company, Far Eastern Consortium, bought the site and plans to develop it, but construction is delayed.
As Burnham prepares to take his Makerfield message to Westminster, the question remains: will this Labour victory be a moment or a turning point? “The blanket of pessimism is not immovable,” wrote the New Statesman, “but lifting it will take political leadership of the highest order.”