FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Support from party figures and recent polls put Manchester mayor up against Reform UK in a race of symbolic importance
Former British Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who resigned this week without directly challenging Labour leader Keir Starmer, declared his support for Andy Burnham on Friday.
"We need our best players on the pitch," Streeting said, adding "there's no doubt Andy Burnham is one of them."
However, it remains possible that Burnham or other cabinet ministers will seek a full-blown contest for the party leadership, rather than a direct handover of leadership to him, if he wins the by-election.
Burnham is expected to present next week his vision of "Manchesterism", a political approach that aims to make people feel connected and invested in their local communities, and how this model could be implemented across the United Kingdom.
According to an analysis by the Survation Institute, distributed to The Guardian newspaper, Labour with Burnham as its candidate would narrowly win over Reform UK in the Makerfield constituency, by 45% to 43%. If the party were to field another candidate, support for Labour would fall to 27%, while Reform UK would reach 53%.
The results are based on modeling of official election data, census records and polls from recent by-elections in Gorton and Denton.
In a development seen as a blow to Labour, the Green Party confirmed on Friday that it would contest Makerfield. The decision was also criticised by its former leader, Caroline Lucas.
The race is being seen as a symbolic showdown for the country's political leadership. Nigel Farage's Reform UK has said it will invest heavily in winning the seat. The party's headquarters are expected to choose a candidate, but there are concerns that right-wing votes could be split by the candidate of the new Conservative party "Restore Britain", linked to Rupert Lowe.
Neal Lawson, a close adviser to Burnham, argued that the mayor of Greater Manchester has an unusual electoral profile.
“He attracts both Green and Reform UK voters, and no one else manages to do that,” Lawson said.
According to him, Burnham sees this race as an opportunity to directly confront Nigel Farage and the British right.
“This is real change, not cosmetic. It is profound political, democratic, economic and social change,” he declared, adding that Burnham’s support for proportional representation and political pluralism could also appeal to Green Party voters.
However, some Labour MPs remain concerned about the political risk if Burnham loses his seat. Some have expressed dissatisfaction that he did not choose a more favourable constituency.
A Labour MP described Makerfield as “absolute ground zero of ‘red wall’ voter anger at Reform UK”, warning that Burnham would need to win almost all of the Green and Liberal Democrat votes, as well as gain additional support from Reform UK voters, to secure victory.
Lini një Përgjigje