Andy Burnham has launched a major policy intervention in the Makerfield by-election campaign, vowing to cut business rates for pubs and ease the tax burden on small businesses – a clear break with Keir Starmer’s government. The Greater Manchester mayor said Labour had “got it wrong” on small businesses as he unveiled the plans, which would lower the price of a pint if implemented.
The by-election is a critical test for Labour, with Reform UK emerging as the main challengers. Yet latest polling shows Burnham pulling away from the rightwing populists, his principal opponents, according to the Financial Times. The shift comes as Nigel Farage, Reform’s founder, has called for “rage” in the campaign, raising questions over whether such rhetoric could cost his party the seat.
“Andy Burnham breaks with Starmer over business taxes, says Labour 'got it wrong' as polling shows him pulling away from Reform”
Burnham’s intervention marks a significant departure from national Labour policy under Starmer, whose government has faced criticism over its approach to small businesses. By targeting the cost of a pint – a totemic issue in working-class constituencies – Burnham is seeking to reclaim ground lost to Reform in former Labour heartlands. The move also underscores growing tensions within the party as local figures diverge from the central leadership.
With polling day approaching, the by-election is shaping up as a referendum on both Labour’s direction and Reform’s appeal. Burnham’s break with Starmer may energise wavering voters, but it also risks deepening internal divisions. Whether Farage’s call for ‘rage’ galvanises supporters or repels them remains an open question.