Makerfield residents are not just sick of vox pops, they're sick of politicians who don't listen, writes Natasha Clark

England flags are flying, shirts are out, cider is being purchased, and everyone has a bit of a World Cup spring in their step.

June really is the best time to hold a by-election.

Peter of Cain Butchers told us to get there in the morning, before his lunchtime rush, and he was right.

There was no shortage of regulars going in and out of his shop in one of Ashton-in-Makerfield’s side streets, despite the spontaneous roadworks which had erupted overnight and blocked off the main path to the entrance.

Apron on and the day’s sausages freshly cut, he was keen to tell us why Andy’s local roots and longstanding dedication to the area mean he’s definitely the man for Makerfield.

Like many of the people we spoke to, he said it would be great to have a man from the North as PM, rather than us Southerners for a change.

Burnham’s time as the MP for Leigh was brought up frequently by supporters, and as we spent time with members of the public on the high street, it was clear that the Manchester Mayor has clear support.

After a little more searching, we did find people who were definitely going to vote Reform, saying they were fed up with Labour and that they’d not delivered for this area.

But there were fewer people backing them than I’d anticipated.

And in the last few days, the mentions of the Restore party are definitely growing louder.

Could that make this by-election all to play for?

Among nearly everyone we spoke to, it was clear that Keir Starmer is highly disliked.

We heard everything from ‘he’s not done as well as I’d hoped’ to ‘we need to get him out now’ and ‘he’s just swanning around abroad and he’s done nothing for people like me’.

Multiple people mentioned the winter fuel removal as key to their slump in support, immigration, and that they felt they were taxed too highly.

And for an area that’s around 90 to 95% white, according to the 2021 Census, immigration and borders were mentioned repeatedly.

A lack of jobs, a lack of investment in the area, and even the works on the high street were serious problems too.

But the mood at Labour HQ has been upbeat, packed with activists, ready to pound the pavements.

It’s said that Labour’s team has knocked on every door eight times.

You would expect these poor people to be utterly sick of the media circus by now,  but everyone I spoke to was thoroughly engaged and interested.

I spoke with Jon Trickett, the veteran Labour MP, who said no one is resting on their laurels yet.

Despite the community voting decisively to leave, Brexit was not brought up by locals I’ve been speaking to.

We didn’t find a lot of support for the Tories, Lib Dems or Greens, despite them polling in double digits in the local elections, leading to widespread claims tactical voting will play a huge part in this poll.

Former Wigan Mayor, the Tory candidate Michael Winstanley, told us he understood why people may not be ready to vote for his party again just yet.

He said it wasn’t just a two-horse race, yet if the polls are to be believed, he may be at risk of losing his deposit.

A drive over to Wigan and Leigh Community Centre near Platt Bridge, and a speedy peek at Reform’s HQ in the North of the constituency gave us more of a flavour of where Reform might do a bit better.

Former MP Josh Simons was spoken of well by community organiser David Baxter, but he worried that Reform’s immigration policies would make his work more difficult if Robert Kenyon were to win.

As we ventured further out and into the housing estates, more teal blue signs were displayed, with union flags and St George’s proudly draped from lampposts.

We also hopped over to Salford to speak with the Green candidate, Manchester councillor and mum, Sarah Wakefield.

The previous candidate had to withdraw just hours after his campaign launch, after he was discovered to have described attacks on Jewish ambulances as a false flag, but Ms Wakefield insisted there was not a serious problem with antisemitism in the party.

Last week, her facial expressions in response to Mr Kenyon on Question Time were being shared across the internet.

And she hit back at critics, including from within her own party, saying that she might split the vote for the progressives.

She reflects genuine concerns we heard about Burnham using Makerfield as a stepping stone back to Westminster, and back to Parliament.

That is a real risk for voters who would have no question been voting for Labour, and possibly have done for all their lives.

Those votes can no longer be guaranteed, and Reform are sweeping up the anti-establishment vote out of deep frustration and desperation.

The people of Makerfield may be sick of Vox pops by eager cameras, but they are even more sick of feeling left behind by politicians.

Stuck between Wigan, Manchester and Liverpool and feeling like they’re a million miles from the men and women of Whitehall who claim to make decisions on their behalf.

They just want things to work, their businesses to thrive, and to enjoy themselves with whatever’s left at the end of the month.

But bills are soaring, trade is difficult, rules seem to be making things more difficult, and life feels harder, not easier.

This doesn’t feel like the Labour they were promised, they say.

And not even two years since Sir Keir Starmer’s landslide, there’s a good chance that one man from around here might be about to throw everything he has at trying to finally change that.

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Natasha Clark is LBC's Political Editor.

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

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