Andy really needs to take on all comers and win in order to show he can beat both Reform (way more of threat in Makerfield) and the Greens.
If he does take the by-election against concerted opposition he demonstrates an ability to win that will stand him in good stead in the knock down drag out GE campaign in 2029.
Jaded_Strain_3753 on
Well yeah, why wouldn’t they. They don’t owe allegiance to Burnham
MyAltPoetryAccount on
Burnham will surely win the by-election
Here’s the line: “Want Stamer out? Vote Burnham”
Proud_Structure3595 on
Hope he loses. Nothing against Andy but all this political theatre is getting tiresome.
When you have to steal a mayor away from the people he was voted to represent just to make a power grab instead on doing his job things have gone terrible wrong.
Weak-Fly-6540 on
Burnham would have won Gorton had he run.
The Greens are right to put up a candidate, but there’s no guarantee for them.
Phoenix_Reforged on
I mean, yeah?
Labour can roll out the red carpet if they want to, doesn’t mean anyone should.
If Burnham loses, Streeting is Labour next choice and hes a wet wipe in the pocket of big pharmaceutical companies, say your prayers for the NHS.
Visa5e on
Wait, the Greens arent just going to allow the uncontested coronation of King God Emperor Burnham?
Dont they realise this is his fucking DESTINY?
Sorry-Programmer9826 on
Realistically if he can’t win an open byelection he couldn’t win a general election either. So it’s a good first test; if he wins – good, maybe he is the man for the job. If he loses – good, he wasn’t the man for the job
Desperate_Caramel_10 on
I like Andy and wish him all the best but it kinda feels like he has been more than a little bit naive here.
CryptoCantab on
Never said this before, but come on the Greens!
More seriously though the whole point for Labour is that Burnham needs to beat both Greens and Reform in a straight fight so it’s probably for the best he’s tested early.
Huge-Cartoonist6795 on
It’ll make me laugh my arse off if greens or reform win
Exciting-Reindeer-61 on
Unless there’s a deal made for PR I don’t see why they shouldn’t. Burnham would be a bigger threat to the Greens than Starmer under first past the post, they’d basically be helping him to defeat them.
psrandom on
I hope he loses. No fan of Starmer but no different Labour PM will be any different and all these shenanigans will only achieve higher mortgage rate for most people
Ramiren on
There’s something really disingenuous about the way our MP’s are selected.
Oh, you’ve never lived here, never worked here, have no ties to the area, but you get to represent us because the party said so? Then the moment the party needs to do some juggling around your current MP just offers to fuck off, really showing how much he cares for you, and is replaced by someone else who has never lived there, never worked there and has no ties to the area.
God I hate our poltical system, it’d be hilarious to see Burnham lose as a result of this hubris, if it weren’t for the fact Reform are second place in Makerfield.
Signal_Neck9314 on
I’ll lose a lot of respect for the Greens if they stand a candidate here. The leadership is on record many times saying Burnham would be a better Prime Minister, closer to their values than Starmer.
If they stand in this constituency even though they think Burnham would improve the country, then they’re putting party before country and really letting a lot of us down.
Any_Ad_6929 on
Everyone is going to contest it hard. A very good chance labour will not even win in one of their strongest seats. Be well funny if they don’t!
cheeseley6 on
The demographics are wrong for the Greens in that seat.
fayemoonlight on
There’s no point in Greens standing. They wouldn’t have been able to beat him in G&D, they won’t be able to beat him in a Reform heavy area.
Burnham is also much more left leaning than Starmer. There’s no point supporting Green with a slight hope they get in in 2029 (they won’t — at all), when you could just choose Burnham and get a left wing PM by the end of the season
Salty-Bid1597 on
This by-election is basically a toss up. Reform will surge, the Greens will take votes from Labour (who might not have the full party machine behind them, ahem), the Tories might even turn up to steal some too. Only the LDs aren’t going to bother. Probably between Reform and Labour but there will be a kingmaker in third or fourth.
He’s taking a huge risk here. No wonder Starmer was happy for him to do it.
gizmo998 on
Waste of money and pointless. It’s a right wing area
Rude_Sheepherder_714 on
It’ll be genuinely comical if he loses this and then gets dumped from the mayoral job as well.
Economy_Seat_7250 on
Polanski should put his money where his mouth is and run himself.
CurtisInCamden on
I hope their contestant hasn’t been dodging council tax for years.
HAH-PAH on
As a Green party member: We absolutely should be contesting the seat because: –
1) We can no longer rely on past results to predict future results anymore, we are in a new paradigm of post-2 party politics where Greens have a chance – Gordon and Denton and the local elections showed this
2) A win for Burnham may draw some of the left back to Labour and – the longer the Labour party is mired in internal fighting over Starmer the more benefit to the Greens
3) Andy Burnham does not have the radical politics needed to make the necessary changes the country is crying out for. He has been around since the days of Blair and Brown. Only Zack Polanski and the new generation of Green politicians can deliver on taxing the rich and bringing about real change
GayWolfey on
Tbh. The Greens should not have to stand aside.
If reform win it they have one more MP. That’s it. All this talk of Burnham is the only person who can tackle reform is lunacy.
He was a decidedly average MP. Who failed twice to take the leadership. Decidedly average cabinet minister.
He got popular because he shouted at the Tories during the stupid Covid confusion about regional lockdowns.
Yes the Manchester economy is doing well, but he is not the messiah.
If anything he is being utterly selfish. Let’s just say reform win the seat. You have unnecessarily given them loads of PR and soundbites.
If he really cared he would stay put. If Reform win the seat and the Mayor race it will be all on him. And his political career is in the toilet.
liamxf on
It’s a trail by fire if he can do it he will be seen as the future leader against reform if he loses he’s lost it all
Clbull on
Zack Polanski: “The next Labour leader must move decisively away from the status quo to beat Reform. That means giving power and wealth to working class people. It means a democratic revolution, rent controls and public ownership of water. It means someone who isn’t Wes Streeting.”
Also Zack Polanski:
PatchworkMann on
hes kinda fucked it hasnt he. large parts of manchester have shifted to reform, the locals are a sign of whats to come. the green vote will eat into his majority. reform will be tough to beat. even if he wins but by a slim margin, that puts him on the backfoot already. he needs a landslide if he has hope of kicking the first pebble to cause a nationwide landslide at the next ge.
Vods on
I think he’s been good for Manchester, but honestly I hope he loses.
It’s exactly what this country didn’t need, and he’s put himself before it.
Zephinism on
This wont’ make much of a difference here, Greens are practically invisible in the area.
The potential Green voters are on the other side of Westhoughton.
Hindley & Hindley Green would lean more Labour than anything, Platt Bridge and maybe Abram towards Reform.
There’s no student population here really, and no/few Muslims. So what is the base for the Green Party here? We saw it at the locals a few weeks ago, it was a 2 horse race between Reform and Labour and Labour voters are fed up of Starmer’s government so their turnout was poor.
Tell them they either get a Reform MP or they can a chance to elect the guy who will kick Starmer out and become PM, and which way will they vote? It’s a very easy seat for Burnham, pretty much all my girlfriend’s family will be voting for Burnham if he stands here, even the soft Reform types like my GF’s sister.
limaconnect77 on
The Veggies are gonna give the country an unhealthy dose of Tory-Reform…like a really fkn nasty STD and apparently the electorate is really into that sort of thing.
KJPicard24 on
That’s their right, but I feel the whole reason they’ve enjoyed a jump in support is because Starmer’s Labour has not been progressive enough.
Burnham is basically going to set out his stall that he’ll fix that. Starmer was never going to change, so a leader closer to their values may have them more receptive of Labour in future, especially if it’s that or Reform.
I actually think Burnham will win comfortably, he’ll get people turning out for Labour more than a generic pro-Starmer candidate would have done if this by-election was being held for other reasons, so the media looking at Reform gains in council results and just lumping into it a parliamentary seat projecton is way off the mark, IMO.
Howthehelldoido on
Oh good, split the vote and guarantee a reform win.
Seems like a sensible position to take.
TheSixthPillar on
His arrogance is off the charts. Getting an MP to stand down so he can “save the country” and become PM.
Please. You painted a few buses yellow and siphoned loads of cash to Renaker.
Hope he gets destroyed.
Dry_Construction4939 on
Man this sub is incredibly pressed that Starmer is going huh? I’m really sorry your fav authoritarian transphobic wet blanket is finished, but like it or not he is.
cj_winters on
Isn’t he the bloke who wasn’t good enough to beat Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn? /s
36 Comments
Andy really needs to take on all comers and win in order to show he can beat both Reform (way more of threat in Makerfield) and the Greens.
If he does take the by-election against concerted opposition he demonstrates an ability to win that will stand him in good stead in the knock down drag out GE campaign in 2029.
Well yeah, why wouldn’t they. They don’t owe allegiance to Burnham
Burnham will surely win the by-election
Here’s the line: “Want Stamer out? Vote Burnham”
Hope he loses. Nothing against Andy but all this political theatre is getting tiresome.
When you have to steal a mayor away from the people he was voted to represent just to make a power grab instead on doing his job things have gone terrible wrong.
Burnham would have won Gorton had he run.
The Greens are right to put up a candidate, but there’s no guarantee for them.
I mean, yeah?
Labour can roll out the red carpet if they want to, doesn’t mean anyone should.
If Burnham loses, Streeting is Labour next choice and hes a wet wipe in the pocket of big pharmaceutical companies, say your prayers for the NHS.
Wait, the Greens arent just going to allow the uncontested coronation of King God Emperor Burnham?
Dont they realise this is his fucking DESTINY?
Realistically if he can’t win an open byelection he couldn’t win a general election either. So it’s a good first test; if he wins – good, maybe he is the man for the job. If he loses – good, he wasn’t the man for the job
I like Andy and wish him all the best but it kinda feels like he has been more than a little bit naive here.
Never said this before, but come on the Greens!
More seriously though the whole point for Labour is that Burnham needs to beat both Greens and Reform in a straight fight so it’s probably for the best he’s tested early.
It’ll make me laugh my arse off if greens or reform win
Unless there’s a deal made for PR I don’t see why they shouldn’t. Burnham would be a bigger threat to the Greens than Starmer under first past the post, they’d basically be helping him to defeat them.
I hope he loses. No fan of Starmer but no different Labour PM will be any different and all these shenanigans will only achieve higher mortgage rate for most people
There’s something really disingenuous about the way our MP’s are selected.
Oh, you’ve never lived here, never worked here, have no ties to the area, but you get to represent us because the party said so? Then the moment the party needs to do some juggling around your current MP just offers to fuck off, really showing how much he cares for you, and is replaced by someone else who has never lived there, never worked there and has no ties to the area.
God I hate our poltical system, it’d be hilarious to see Burnham lose as a result of this hubris, if it weren’t for the fact Reform are second place in Makerfield.
I’ll lose a lot of respect for the Greens if they stand a candidate here. The leadership is on record many times saying Burnham would be a better Prime Minister, closer to their values than Starmer.
If they stand in this constituency even though they think Burnham would improve the country, then they’re putting party before country and really letting a lot of us down.
Everyone is going to contest it hard. A very good chance labour will not even win in one of their strongest seats. Be well funny if they don’t!
The demographics are wrong for the Greens in that seat.
There’s no point in Greens standing. They wouldn’t have been able to beat him in G&D, they won’t be able to beat him in a Reform heavy area.
Burnham is also much more left leaning than Starmer. There’s no point supporting Green with a slight hope they get in in 2029 (they won’t — at all), when you could just choose Burnham and get a left wing PM by the end of the season
This by-election is basically a toss up. Reform will surge, the Greens will take votes from Labour (who might not have the full party machine behind them, ahem), the Tories might even turn up to steal some too. Only the LDs aren’t going to bother. Probably between Reform and Labour but there will be a kingmaker in third or fourth.
He’s taking a huge risk here. No wonder Starmer was happy for him to do it.
Waste of money and pointless. It’s a right wing area
It’ll be genuinely comical if he loses this and then gets dumped from the mayoral job as well.
Polanski should put his money where his mouth is and run himself.
I hope their contestant hasn’t been dodging council tax for years.
As a Green party member: We absolutely should be contesting the seat because: –
1) We can no longer rely on past results to predict future results anymore, we are in a new paradigm of post-2 party politics where Greens have a chance – Gordon and Denton and the local elections showed this
2) A win for Burnham may draw some of the left back to Labour and – the longer the Labour party is mired in internal fighting over Starmer the more benefit to the Greens
3) Andy Burnham does not have the radical politics needed to make the necessary changes the country is crying out for. He has been around since the days of Blair and Brown. Only Zack Polanski and the new generation of Green politicians can deliver on taxing the rich and bringing about real change
Tbh. The Greens should not have to stand aside.
If reform win it they have one more MP. That’s it. All this talk of Burnham is the only person who can tackle reform is lunacy.
He was a decidedly average MP. Who failed twice to take the leadership. Decidedly average cabinet minister.
He got popular because he shouted at the Tories during the stupid Covid confusion about regional lockdowns.
Yes the Manchester economy is doing well, but he is not the messiah.
If anything he is being utterly selfish. Let’s just say reform win the seat. You have unnecessarily given them loads of PR and soundbites.
If he really cared he would stay put. If Reform win the seat and the Mayor race it will be all on him. And his political career is in the toilet.
It’s a trail by fire if he can do it he will be seen as the future leader against reform if he loses he’s lost it all
Zack Polanski: “The next Labour leader must move decisively away from the status quo to beat Reform. That means giving power and wealth to working class people. It means a democratic revolution, rent controls and public ownership of water. It means someone who isn’t Wes Streeting.”
Also Zack Polanski:
hes kinda fucked it hasnt he. large parts of manchester have shifted to reform, the locals are a sign of whats to come. the green vote will eat into his majority. reform will be tough to beat. even if he wins but by a slim margin, that puts him on the backfoot already. he needs a landslide if he has hope of kicking the first pebble to cause a nationwide landslide at the next ge.
I think he’s been good for Manchester, but honestly I hope he loses.
It’s exactly what this country didn’t need, and he’s put himself before it.
This wont’ make much of a difference here, Greens are practically invisible in the area.
The potential Green voters are on the other side of Westhoughton.
Hindley & Hindley Green would lean more Labour than anything, Platt Bridge and maybe Abram towards Reform.
There’s no student population here really, and no/few Muslims. So what is the base for the Green Party here? We saw it at the locals a few weeks ago, it was a 2 horse race between Reform and Labour and Labour voters are fed up of Starmer’s government so their turnout was poor.
Tell them they either get a Reform MP or they can a chance to elect the guy who will kick Starmer out and become PM, and which way will they vote? It’s a very easy seat for Burnham, pretty much all my girlfriend’s family will be voting for Burnham if he stands here, even the soft Reform types like my GF’s sister.
The Veggies are gonna give the country an unhealthy dose of Tory-Reform…like a really fkn nasty STD and apparently the electorate is really into that sort of thing.
That’s their right, but I feel the whole reason they’ve enjoyed a jump in support is because Starmer’s Labour has not been progressive enough.
Burnham is basically going to set out his stall that he’ll fix that. Starmer was never going to change, so a leader closer to their values may have them more receptive of Labour in future, especially if it’s that or Reform.
I actually think Burnham will win comfortably, he’ll get people turning out for Labour more than a generic pro-Starmer candidate would have done if this by-election was being held for other reasons, so the media looking at Reform gains in council results and just lumping into it a parliamentary seat projecton is way off the mark, IMO.
Oh good, split the vote and guarantee a reform win.
Seems like a sensible position to take.
His arrogance is off the charts. Getting an MP to stand down so he can “save the country” and become PM.
Please. You painted a few buses yellow and siphoned loads of cash to Renaker.
Hope he gets destroyed.
Man this sub is incredibly pressed that Starmer is going huh? I’m really sorry your fav authoritarian transphobic wet blanket is finished, but like it or not he is.
Isn’t he the bloke who wasn’t good enough to beat Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn? /s