If there’s one thing Andy Burnham could do without, it’s talk about Brexit. A decade after the divisive referendum on leaving the EU, it’s still a thorny issue. So Wes Streeting’s intervention, saying he would reopen the debate about rejoining the bloc, could not come at a worse time for the Greater Manchester Mayor.
He’s trying to win a by-election in a constituency that voted heavily for Brexit, and Nigel Farage will love the chance to fight this battle again. Mr Burnham’s camp has already described the former Health Secretary’s remark as “unhelpful”, and even accused him of sabotage. It’s worth remembering what a huge gamble Mr Burnham has taken by standing in Makerfield.
A bit of number-crunching makes alarming reading. In the local elections, Reform picked up 50.4% of votes for council wards in the constituency. That was more than double Labour’s 22.7%, while the Greens got 10.9%. And there isn’t a huge margin for error – Labour won with a majority of 5,399 in Makerfield at the general election, but Reform still secured more than 12,000 votes.
