Andy Burnham has said Labour has “not been good enough” for Britons under Sir Keir Starmer as the Mayor of Greater Manchester launches his Makerfield campaign.
Mr Burnham was confirmed as the party’s candidate last week after Labour’s ruling body gave him the thumbs up to run.
The group of senior Labour officials, including Sir Keir Starmer, drew surmountable criticism after refusing to allow Mr Burnham to run in the Gorton & Denton by-election in February.
Delivering a speech in the constituency, Mr Burnham declared working-class communities across Makerfield have been neglected by national politics.
Following a disastrous set of election losses for the party at the start of the month, the Greater Manchester Mayor declared: “We have not been good enough.
“A vote for me in this by election is a vote to change Labour. It is a vote to give the people in these communities back the party they used to know.
“A party that is solidly on the side of working class people and working class communities.”
“It needs a new script and over the next four weeks the people of Makerfield are going to write that script, and it’s great that they’re going to get that chance,” he added, speaking before cheering supporters.
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Reform MP Sarah Pochin joins Makerfield candidate on the campaign trail
Reform MP Sarah Pochin has joined her party’s Makerfield candidate on the campaign trail this afternoon.
Beaming alongside Reform’s candidate for Makerfield, Robert Kenyon, Ms Pochin said: “We’re off out, the sun’s shining, we’re going to be knocking on doors, talking to people, doing a bit of a sing-a-long in the van.
“Who knows what’s going to happen this afternoon. Nothing’s sure when you’re out with Sarah Pochin!” she joked.
Green MP takes ‘several weeks off for burnout’
Green MP Carla Denyer has taken a leave of absence for several weeks for “burnout”.
The former co-leader of the Greens said: “Over the last few years, I have been struggling with persistent health issues and I have been trying to manage these alongside the long hours and significant responsibility my work entails.
“It has become clear that this is not an effective strategy and that doing so is inhibiting my ability to recover.
The Bristol Central MP added: “I want to be open about the fact that what I am suffering from is burnout.- and the mental and physical symptoms that arise from it.”
She added: “Following my doctor’s advice, I am taking some time away from work for health reasons.
“My office will be functioning as usual and my staff are there to support all my constituents who need help, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.”
Liberal Democrats unveil Stockport councillor as Makerfield candidate
The Liberal Democrats have unveiled a Stockport councillor as their party’s Makerfield candidate.
Born in Makerfield, Jake Austin took the fight against Mr Burnham in 2024 in the Greater Manchester mayoral election.
Mr Austin came sixth place.
In a statement this morning, he said: “I’m thrilled to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Makerfield.
“Voters in Makerfield deserve so much more than the failing Labour Government or the divisive politics of Reform UK.
“We have a real opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to people: the cost of living, protecting our natural environment and supporting our local high streets and businesses.”
Andy Burnham vows to ‘carry fight forward’ for Makerfield constituents as MP
Andy Burnham has vowed to fight for Makerfield constituents – and to “carry that fight forward” as a Member of Parliament.
In a “different phase” in his bid to champion the North, Mr Burnham said: “We’ve taken that fight for people here, and I will carry that fight forward if I am lucky enough to be elected as the MP for Makerfield.
“I’ll take that fight as high as I can possibly take it, and that’s the journey I’ve always been on, and it’s not a new journey for me, it’s the same journey, just in a different phase, and that’s what this is all about.”
Mr Burnham is widely touted as one of Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership rivals – a threat that is likely to be amplified by the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Westminster comeback.
‘A vote for me is a vote to change Labour,’ Andy Burnham declares
Andy Burnham has declared that a vote for him in the Makerfield by-election is a “vote to change Labour”.
Following a disastrous set of election losses for the party at the start of the month, the Greater Manchester Mayor declared: “I know my own party needs to change, we need to be better than we’ve been, we’ve not been good enough.
“And I want to leave people in no doubt today. A vote for me in this by-election campaign is a vote to change Labour.
“It is a vote to give the people in these communities back the party they used to know.
“A party that is solidly on the side of working class people and working class communities.”
Andy Burnham launches scathing criticism at Westminster politics
Andy Burnham has launched scathing criticism of the state of Westminster politics at his campaign rally.
Labour’s candidate added that he feels a “burning sense of injustice” for the North and accused those in SW1 putting people outside of the South “at the bottom of the list”.
“I live here. I have lived here for 25 years. My home is two miles over there,” he bellowed.
He continued: “I love this place. I love the people of this place, but what I have inside is a burning sense of injustice that the proud communities of this place face a Westminster system that puts them at the bottom of the list.”
PM’s rival calls for ‘biggest council house building project since WW2’
The Prime Minister’s rival has called for the “biggest council house building project since World War II”.
Andy Burnham said: “This country needs the biggest program of council house building since the Second World War, but a new generation a new generation of council homes homes that are cheaper to rent and cheaper to run, so that is a real answer to the cost of living crisis that people are experiencing.”
Building out his portfolio, Mr Burnham demanded changes to the national education system, as well as an economic switch-up.
Andy Burnham: ‘British politics needs a new script’
Andy Burnham has vowed to reinvigorate “tired” British politics with a “new script”.
Speaking to crowds of supporters, the Greater Manchester Mayor said: “This is not more of the same.
“This is a change by-election. Politics in this country, British politics, is tired.
“It needs a new script and over the next four weeks the people of Makerfield are going to write that script, and it’s great that they’re going to get that chance.”
Andy Burnham denies Makerfield by-election is ‘stepping stone’
Andy Burnham has denied that standing in the Makerfield by-election is “not a stepping stone” for his Westminster comeback.
He said: “Somebody has said in this campaign that this is a stepping stone for me. How can it be a stepping stone if it takes you back to where it all began?”
“The reason it comes back is because I’ve never stopped what I started 25 years ago. I’ve never stopped that. I fought for these people in these places as a Member of Parliament. I fought for them as a minister.”
Rosie Duffield backs Andy Burnham in bid to boot out Keir Starmer from Downing Street
Independent MP Rosie Duffield, who resigned the Labour whip in 2024, has backed Andy Burnham in his bid to boot out Sir Keir Starmer from No10.
She told GB News’s Political Editor Christopher Hope: “Keir Starmer is not going to be around for long, let’s be honest, and I think whoever comes in next is going to really have a look at a shift in culture.
“Absolutely from the top [of the party], because it’s all very well having token women in sort of nice shiny roles on television.
“The people who make the decisions and the policies manage and run the party, I can’t speak for other parties, but have traditionally in Labour and unions they have always been men.”
Ministers urged to investigate arts boss who compared Reform’s election success to 1930s Germany
Labour ministers have been urged to investigate the Southbank Centre’s chairman, who compared Reform’s local election success to Germany in the 1930s.
In an Instagram video posted in response to recent local election results, Misan Harriman described Reform UK’s growing electoral success as “a warning” whilst referencing historical discussions about the Third Reich’s ascent to power.
The controversial pro-Palestine arts chief’s comments have prompted 64 MPs to write to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy.
Included in the signatories are two former culture secretaries, John Whittingdale and Sir Oliver Dowden, who signed off on Harriman’s appointment in 2021.
READ THE STORY HERE.
Keir Starmer slammed for ‘secretive approach’ as Labour accosts EU ‘reset’ talks
Sir Keir Starmer has been slammed for his “secretive” approach to EU “reset” talks.
The Foreign Affairs Committee has taken aim at Whitehall over being “woefully inadequate” and failing to “engage meaningfully with its substance”.
Chair Dame Emily Thornberry added the response was “frequently evasive and waffly”.
CATCH UP: Chopper’s Political Podcast
From a Cabinet revolt, to resignations to Burnham waiting in the wings, Sir Keir Starmer has had a busy few weeks.
Sit down with GB News’s Chopper to unpack how the Prime Minister is handling the whirlwind in Westminster this week.
WATCH HERE.
Rachel Reeves: ‘I’ll still be the Chancellor of the Exchequer in autumn’
Rachel Reeves has declared that she will still be the Chancellor of the Exchequer in autumn despite facing a gruelling two years in No11.
She claimed she has “got the economy gorwing, beating the forecasts”.
“We were the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in the first quarter of this year, defying the forecasts. Inflation: just yesterday the numbers came out that inflation is down… and we’re tackling the cost of living,” Ms Reeves told Sky News.
“We’ve done that with £150 off energy bills, we’ve done that by freezing rail fares and prescription changes, and I’ve done it again today with this package of measures to help businesses, to help motorists, to help with the supermarket shop.”
Andy Burnham gears up for official campaign launch in Makerfield as Mayor rallies for Westminster comeback
Andy Burnham is gearing up to launch his official campaign this morning as Labour’s candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
The “King of the North” is widely touted as Sir Keir’s potential successor, despite the Prime Minister insisting he has no plans to step aside.
Sir Keir previously vowed he would fight for Mr Burnham in the by-election on June 18.
Angela Rayner denies involvement after five arrested over electoral fraud claims in her constituency
Angela Rayner has strongly denied involvement after five people were arrested as part of an investigation into alleged offences committed in the lead up to the local elections.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed earlier today four men and a woman, aged between 23 and 47, were arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in the former deputy Prime Minister’s Ashton-under-Lyne constituency.
The force said it had received reports of concerns about candidates in the St Peter’s ward of Tameside council in the days before and after the election on May 7.
Online newspaper The Mill reported the arrests followed its investigation into claims that fake independent candidates were put forward in a bid to split the vote, with one discussion about the scheme allegedly taking place in Ms Rayner’s kitchen.
READ THE FULL WRITE-UP HERE.
UK borrowing costs surge to higher-than-expected £24.3billion as Rachel Reeves faces ‘financial strain’
UK borrowing costs surged to a higher-than-expected £24.3billion last month, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This represents the second-highest April level on record for borrowing, as economists warn Chancellor Rachel Reeves has an uphill battle in improving the economy.
Based on today’s ONS figures, borrowing for April 2025 was a quarter higher, or £4.9 billion, than the year before.
Notably, last month’s figures were £3.4billion more than the £20.£ billion projected by the the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
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