Greater Manchester<\/a> mayor has announced his intention to contest this seat, after the sitting MP Josh Simons agreed to step aside for him.<\/p>\nIt is undoubtedly the biggest risk of Burnham\u2019s political career. If Labour put up any other candidate, Reform would be odds-on to take the seat, which Simons won in 2024 with a majority of just over 5,000.<\/p>\n
John Hughes and Fred Smith chatting in the doorway of the Golden Lion on Gerard Street. Photograph: Joel Goodman\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
In Ashton-in-Makerfield, Pete Thompson, who runs Revolving Records, is cautiously optimistic about Burnham himself \u2013 but less so about his chances.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the choice, I would say Andy Burnham is a better figurehead than our prime minister,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s see where that goes, but he\u2019s got to get in first, hasn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not going to be easy, I don\u2019t think,\u201d he added. \u201cNot with what Reform have done [locally].\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan Fairhurst, a hairdresser, has switched to Reform after voting Labour all his life. He likes that Farage \u201cis a businessman\u201d and hopes that his party would \u201cstart more investment into local businesses\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"Burnham](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778872569_477_1920.jpg\")
Burnham byelection: the small town that could decide next PM \u2013 The Latest<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not really seeing it, are we?\u201d he said. \u201cWe see more local businesses closing down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Peter Cain, a butcher, may vote for Burnham, but doesn\u2019t know yet. He thinks Burnham\u2019s \u201cmore in reality with what\u2019s going on\u201d, but will have a \u201ctough fight on\u201d against Reform.<\/p>\n
But, he added: \u201cI don\u2019t think Reform has got any pedigree, have they? That\u2019s your problem. You\u2019re asking somebody who\u2019s never run anything before.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Burnham did manage to pull it off, \u201clet\u2019s just hope he can look after his constituents\u201d, he said, \u201cbecause is it not just a stepping stone for him to become the prime minister and then he forgets about his constituency?\u201d<\/p>\n
People and pigeons in the town centre of Ashton-in-Makerfield. Photograph: Joel Goodman\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Makerfield is undoubtedly a tougher challenge than some of the other Greater Manchester seats Burnham reportedly had his eye on. But he hopes that with his record as a mayor, and his \u201cManchesterism\u201d brand of politics, he can succeed where others would fail.<\/p>\n
And, living just over the border in neighbouring Leigh, he is also on home turf. There is a sense among many voters here that Burnham understands their needs in a way that most politicians do not.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just down to earth isn\u2019t he? He\u2019s one of us, he is a local lad,\u201d said Colin Holmes, who owns the Coffee Shop, adding that he would \u201c100%\u201d vote for Burnham.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got every faith in Andy, to be honest with you,\u201d his wife and business partner, Donna Holmes, said, \u201cbecause he understands, he\u2019s from a working background himself, he understands what people are going through\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s what Andy\u2019s about,\u201d she added. \u201cHe listens, and he gets among people, and he understands hardship as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fran Kennedy, the co-owner of another independent business, the Cupcakery, said: \u201cHe knows what it is like to be a working-class citizen, whereas a lot of the politicians don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need somebody in the Labour party, for the government, that actually knows what it\u2019s like to be from a struggling town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin Whittaker on Gerard Street. Photograph: Joel Goodman\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
As mayor, \u201che did really, really well for public transport\u201d, she added. \u201cIt obviously helped a lot of people, which is something that\u2019s obviously needed. It\u2019s made it cheaper for a lot of people, and made it more convenient to get from A to B.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while some here do have concerns about Burnham using the constituency as a tool to further his own ambition, most seem to welcome the idea of a Makerfield prime minister.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a bit of something to uplift us all a little bit,\u201d Kennedy said, \u201cbecause we\u2019ve got so much potential in this little town.\u201d<\/p>\n
If Burnham does succeed, it will be in spite of, not because of the Labour brand, and entirely down to his personal popularity here.<\/p>\n
Kevin Whittaker, an ex-tank commander, is not a natural Labour voter \u2013 but he does plan to back Burnham. \u201cI think he\u2019d do good if he got in No 10,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been conservative most of my life, even through my army days, but no, he\u2019s kind of won me over. I like his policies and everything, he seems more direct.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s more positive, more committed to the cause, I think. I\u2019ve never been a good supporter of Mr Starmer. He\u2019s a bit weak, I\u2019d think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Donna Holmes at the Coffee Shop. Photograph: Joel Goodman\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Back at the Coffee Shop, Donna Holmes thinks that while he \u201cneeds to get a lot of people behind him\u201d, Burnham will succeed here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way things have been going, I don\u2019t think [Labour] have had a lot of good publicity, with one thing or another, but I think Andy will pull it back,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She often sees him in the local Asda supermarket, and \u201che\u2019ll be walking round and he\u2019ll stop and he will chat\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the old ladies, he\u2019s chatting away to them all,\u201d she said. \u201cThey all like him, he\u2019s got a good reputation, especially round here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019ll do well,\u201d she added. \u201cHe\u2019s got my vote anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A car rolls past the television cameras and reporters thronging the high street in Ashton-in-Makerfield, the window is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-586002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}