UK By Election Reform UK vs Andy Burnham #shorts

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]And I think the fact that the leader of Reform UK was here today rather than in Parliament for Prime Minister's Questions really tells you all you need to know about the stakes of this. Once seen as a safe Labour seat, more recent political history has given Reform UK reasons to raise a glass here. They came second at the general election, shoving the Conservatives deep into third place.

[00:00:20]And as for this month's locals, eight council seats were up for grabs here.

[00:00:24]Reform UK won them all. But one of Labour's most famous faces is in the running, and the Burnham bounce could be hard to predict. Andy Burnham is one of the most popular politicians in the UK.

[00:00:36]Are you worried about what his success could mean for your own ambitions to become Prime Minister? Look, we're running ahead of ourselves here. You know, there is a big by-election taking place on the 18th of next month. It's the biggest by-election for over half a century.

[00:00:51]Um and we are going to throw the kitchen sink at it. We're going to back our plucky plumber to take on the so-called king of the world, and may the best man win.

[00:00:59]In a few more days, we should know the full list of candidates on offer to voters. Nigel Farage won't be the last leader to hit the campaign trail, all parties hoping that polling day will bring them a happy hour.

[00:01:11]>> What's going to happen in Makerfield between now and then?

[00:01:16]Well, to the good people all across this constituency, brace yourself cuz I think the next few weeks are going to be absolutely frantic. By-elections really are like nothing else. You've got all the campaigning efforts that are normally spread around a whole country for the general election, suddenly concentrated in just one area. And that's because they're also really unpredictable. You'll remember the Runcorn and Helsby contest just a year ago came down to just six votes. So, every party is going to be fighting hard for every single one of them. And I think the fact that the leader of Reform UK was here today rather than in Parliament for Prime Minister's Questions really tells you all you need to know about the stakes of this. It is a massive political test, and not just for any so-called front runners, all political parties are trying to find their way in this new era of multi-party politics. Makerfield is a red wall seat.

[00:02:05]It's a great way for all of them to test their progress. So, I think come the 18th of June, whatever happens, this corner of Wigan will make its mark in Westminster.