‘Hope is in the air,’ says Burnham at campaign launch
Andy Burnham has welcomed supporters at his campaign launch, telling them “this means the world to me”.
“Hope is in the air, can you feel it?” he said.
“This is not business as usual. This is not more of the same … 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.”
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Closing summary
That’s all from us on the UK politics blog, thanks for following along.
Here is a recap of today’s developments:
Andy Burnham stands in front of supporters during the launch of his campaign as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection. Photograph: Ian Hodgson/AP
“A vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour,” the Greater Manchester mayor said.
Burnham backed the EHRC’s guidance on single-sex spaces, saying the UK needed to “get back to a more ‘live and let live’ approach to life”.
He said the government was “moving in the right direction” on immigration, and that he broadly supported the home secretary’s planned changes to the immigration system.
The Green party’s candidate for the byelection has withdrawn from the ballot within hours of being announced. Chris Kennedy was announced to be running in the seat for the Greens on Thursday morning, but nine hours later the party said he had dropped out, citing “personal and family reasons”.
The Times, however, reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April. A Green party spokesperson said Kennedy apologised for the offence caused and has deleted the posts, according to the BBC.
The Liberal Democrats announced Jake Austin will stand in the byelection for the party. The Stockport councillor contested the Greater Manchester mayoral election against Burnham in 2024, coming sixth.
The defence secretary, John Healey, has urged Nigel Farage to provide transparency about the £5m gift he received from a billionaire businessman, in particular over whether any of the sum could have been linked to Russia-connected profits. In a letter to the Reform UK leader, he asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was “derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies”.
The UK borrowed more than expected in April as high inflation drove up the cost of pensions and benefits, amid concern over the Iran war and political uncertainty adding to debt costs. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – was £24.3bn in April 2026, £4.9bn higher than in April 2025.
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Helena Horton
There has been a row over Reform’s conduct in the battle for Makerfield, with the founder of a Wigan charity for adults with additional needs asking Nigel Farage to apologise after his entourage entered the premises unannounced in a manner the staff and the people they support found “intimidating and overwhelming”.
Gemma Crompton, director of The Hamlet, wrote in a letter to the Reform UK leader: “We are therefore requesting a formal apology regarding the way today’s visit was handled, alongside assurances that no other organisation supporting vulnerable people within the borough will experience a similar situation in future.”
She also claimed Farage’s entourage filmed and took photographs without permission.
Burnham was present at the time, for a celebration of the people supported by the charity achieving their gold Duke of Edinburgh awards.
The Manchester mayor had been accused of a “spiky” response to a Daily Mail journalist who was part of the entourage.
The Mail piece claimed that Burnham “fumed” when approached in the cafe, saying: “You don’t go into a place like that unannounced. You’re out of order there.”
Burnham has supported The Hamlet throughout his time as mayor and there is a photograph of him on the front page of the charity’s website.
However, Crompton said: “At no point was today intended to be a political event or a platform for campaigning.”
She added: “We do not want to be drawn into political campaigning or political division of any kind.”
Gavin Williamson has shared some sad news – his beloved pet tarantula, Cronus, has died.
The Conservative MP posted a video on his social media channels showing a series of photos of him and Cronus together set to the song Angels by Robbie Williams. The former defence secretary wrote: “Having been a trusty companion in my constituency and Westminster office for over a decade, I am sad to announce Cronus’ passing.”
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Williamson kept Cronus, named after a Greek god who castrated his father and ate his children, in a glass tank in his office despite a House of Commons ban on pets. “You have to look at different ways to persuade people to vote with the government and it’s great to have Cronus as part of the team,” Williamson previously said of his eight-legged enforcer.
Here’s a profile we did on Cronus in 2016 (when Williamson was the Conservative chief whip):
Updated at 10.07 EDT
Here’s a list of the party candidates announced so far for the Makerfield byelection:
Andy Burnham (Labour)
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK)
Michael Winstanley (Conservative party)
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats)
Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain)
Alan “Howlin” Laud Hope (Monster Raving Loony party)
The Greens had announced Chris Kennedy would stand for the party but he withdrew just nine hours later. The party said he dropped out for “personal and family reasons”, but the Times later reported it had approached Kennedy about a series of social media posts he had shared about an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London in April.
A Green party spokesperson said Kennedy apologised for the offence caused and has deleted the posts, according to the BBC.
Burnham said the government was “moving in the right direction” on immigration, after figures this week showed net migration to the UK fell by nearly 50%.
Commenting on plans for retrospective changes for those being granted indefinite leave to remain, he said: “I know there have been concerns raised by members of parliament on that issue. So, I have indicated broad support for what the home secretary is trying to do, but I do think on that issue care needs to be taken.”
His remarks came after the Guardian reported that he backed Shabana Mahmood’s controversial changes to the immigration system, according to his allies. Deputy political editor Jessica Elgot and policy editor Kiran Stacey wrote:
double quotation mark[Mahmood] set out a major package of changes earlier this year that included scrapping permanent refugee status and removing government support from asylum seekers who are deemed not to need it or who break the law. Anyone who has been granted asylum but whose country is then deemed to be safe will be asked to leave.
She also promised to double the length of time it takes for some people to achieve settled status in the UK from five years to 10, a measure which officials say will apply to many already in the country. That is due to come in later this year once the government has completed a consultation on which groups should be exempted from the longer timetable.
Some senior Labour MPs have criticised the changes as un-British and mimicking Donald Trump.
Updated at 08.54 EDT
Burnham said he thought the NHS was “almost being overwhelmed” by a “broken” care system.
The Greater Manchester mayor, whose father has Alzheimer’s, said he believed there should be a different way of paying for care.
Greater Manchester mayor and Labour candidate Andy Burnham during his campaign launch ahead of the Makerfield byelection. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
He said: “It’s a reverse of the NHS principle, social care, that the most unfortunate can just like lose everything, and it’s an awful thing.”
He added:
double quotation markI know there’s a great resentment about inheritance tax, so actually just, you know, take that away, perhaps, and look at a care levy.
It’s not about asking people to pay more, it’s just people paying in the most unfair way possible at this moment in time and I think there’s a much better way of doing it, and people just have peace of mind while they’re alive, because they get the care that they need, and then it will be dealt with in a much better way.
He continued:
double quotation markOur hospitals are full of people who are medically fit to be at home or in a care home, but can’t be discharged.
The cost of that to the NHS, in my view, is getting bigger than the cost of fixing social care.
Actually, the NHS is almost being overwhelmed by a broken care system.
Updated at 08.23 EDT
Burnham said the Labour manifesto presented in 2024 could be “more radical”.
He said he wanted to see more council houses being built and that Labour should “be more radical on rail re-nationalisation”.
PA has reported more of his remarks:
double quotation markI’m personally keen to see reform of council tax. It’s a highly regressive tax, and I think it’s not justifiable based on those 1991 valuations. I see a big case for land and property and business taxation to be changed.
Updated at 08.22 EDT
Asked about new guidance on single sex spaces, Andy Burnham said: “I think the time has come to take the Supreme Court ruling and the guidance and implement it, but to do it in a way that protects those spaces but does not marginalise already marginalised communities, that’s my view.
“My mum and dad brought me up to live and let live. I think Britain needs to get back to a more ‘live and let live’ approach to life, not where we’re constantly arguing with each other, being judgmental about each other.
“Lets implement the guidance, but to do it in the fairest and most compassionate way possible.”
He said he thought Britain had done too much of rerunning arguments. “We’ve got to stop arguing with each other. We’ve got to start by finding some common ground and start pulling together,” he added.
Speaking to the media at his campaign launch, Andy Burnham said he would want to commit to changing the electoral system in the next Labour manifesto.
He said:
double quotation markI support electoral reform. Now, I know there’s different ways you can do it, but I believe any move in that direction is going to be good and I would want a commitment in the next Labour manifesto to introduce a proportional system.
He ruled out changing the system before the next election, saying:
double quotation markI think you’ve got to honour manifestos.
A Green MP has announced she is to take a leave of absence after suffering “burnout”.
Carla Denyer, the party’s former co-leader, said she would be off work for several weeks in order to try to recover following advice her doctor.
The MP for Bristol Central said she had been struggling with “persistent health issues” over the last few years and that she hoped to “combat the stigma” surrounding burnout by being open about her experience.
Her constituency office will continue to function as usual over the coming weeks, she said.
In a statement on Friday, Denyer wrote:
double quotation markOver 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. Having taken advice from my doctor, I will be taking several weeks off in order to try to get back to full health.
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.
Burnout is a condition that does not tend to get better on its own. If left unmanaged, it can worsen and increase your risk of long-term health problems.
Carla Denyer speaks during a Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally on Whitehall in central London. Picture date: Wednesday September 11, 2024. Photograph: Lucy North/PAShare
Here are some photos from Andy Burnham’s official campaign launch earlier today:
Photograph: Ian Hodgson/AP Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAShare
In other news, the defence secretary, John Healey, has urged Nigel Farage to provide transparency about the £5m gift he received from a billionaire businessman, in particular over whether any of the sum could have been linked to Russia-connected profits, the Guardian’s senior political correspondent Peter Walker reports.
In a letter to the Reform UK leader, Healey also asked him to address the possibility that the war against Iran might boost the revenues of AML Global, an aviation fuel company owned by Christopher Harborne, who gave Farage the £5m in 2024. Farage initially supported the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The letter, seen by the Guardian, asked Farage to confirm that none of the sum was “derived from transactions with Russian state-linked energy companies”, and to give assurances that AML Global had complied fully with all sanctions on Russian energy since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Read more here:
ShareLiberal Democrats announce Makerfield byelection candidate
Burnham has finished his speech, just as we get an announcement from the Liberal Democrats on their candidate for the Makerfield byelection.
Stockport councillor Jake Austin will stand for the party. He was born in the constituency and contested the Greater Manchester mayoral election against Burnham in 2024, coming sixth, according to PA.
Austin said:
double quotation markI’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.
ShareBurnham: ‘A vote for me is a vote to change Labour’
Continuing on the theme of change, Burnham said a vote for him in the Makerfield byelection is “a vote to change Labour”.
double quotation markI 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 byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour.
He hailed the successes of Greater Manchester and Liverpool since he left Westminster in 2017.
double quotation markWe’ve stood side by side, making the argument for something better for the north-west, through the devolved power that we have got and that we hold together.
And in those ten years we have built a new politics. We’ve worked on a place first basis, rather than party first. We’ve focused on problem solving rather than point scoring. And you know what? When you do that and you work differently, it’s amazing what you can achieve, isn’t it?