Richard Tice Says Reform Will Make Andy Burnham HISTORY in Wigan Showdown

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]But right now we've got Richard Tyson from Reform to speak to. So let's go straight to him. Mr. Tyson, very good morning to you, sir.

[00:00:06]>> Very good morning to you, Mr. Graeme.

[00:00:08]And yes, I think as we get older, we do become a little less tolerant for uh people who are somewhat antisocial on the trains and things listening to music. But goodness me, what a world we live in. I mean, who's running the country, Mr. Graeme? Is it you? Who is it?

[00:00:21]>> Well, I mean, I think if if I was, it would be a lot better than it is now currently. I mean, we've got a poll this morning which is upsetting everyone because they don't like any of the choices on it. It says who would you prefer to be prime minister K star W streeting Andy Burnham or Angela Raina and I know it's a terrible choice and I know it's awful and none of them are going to be any good. However, the bottom line is is that's what we're facing. You know, one of those four people in the coming weeks is going to be the next prime minister.

[00:00:46]>> I'm absolutely amazed that 35% of that poll still want uh Starageddon. I mean, I invented this word two years ago, and when I invented it, I didn't realize just how bad it would be. How quickly.

[00:00:59]>> Yeah.

[00:00:59]>> I mean, it's just extraordinary. 22 months on, the absolute chaos descending the country.

[00:01:06]>> Um, but uh it looks as though it is game on, Mike, and there is going to be a bi-election in Makerfield uh just by Wigan, and uh we are going to have a fantastic candidate. We're going all out. And I would just remind people in the general election when we obviously had limited resources and focuses, we got our candidate there secured a whisker under 13,000 votes.

[00:01:34]>> Yeah.

[00:01:35]>> And at the local elections last week, the same local candidate uh has been elected as a counselor and we won all of the wards in that constituency of Makerfield. So, uh, you know, we are we're very bullish and our new slogan is vote reform, make Burnham history.

[00:01:58]>> Well, I mean, it shows you how arrogant these people are, doesn't it? That they think that Andy Bernham, because in in in Manchester, people I speak to don't like Andy Burnham, right? People in London think he's the king of the north because they've never been there. They don't understand the mentality of the of the population up there who are sick to death of being talked down to uh of having bus gates put in everywhere they go of having you know clean air zones imposed upon them which he had to do a reversal on. You know all manner of things all manner of things that he has tried to do. The Manchester economy is worse now under him. The Manchester streets are dirtier. They're more dangerous. There's more migrants. You know the whole thing is collapsing in on itself. So he he has not got clean hands in terms of the way that he's dealt with the the grooming gangs handle the inquirers and things.

[00:02:47]>> Uh so yeah I I think and the fascinating thing is he has to resign as mayor of Greater Manchester we understand the moment he is nominated as candidate for the constituency bi-election. So uh that's why actually the potential is uh and our hope is that we defeat him in the bi-election and then of course there has to be a new greater Manchester Maril contest >> and we'll have a great candidate for that and our ambition is is reform. I'm going to become the king of the north.

[00:03:21]In fact, we think we already are.

[00:03:23]>> Yeah. Well, that would be hilarious. I mean, it would I think we'd certainly complete my year. And have you seen who they're thinking of asking to run as the Labour candidate for mayor uh if indeed there is an election for that. Have you seen this one?

[00:03:36]>> No. Do update me.

[00:03:38]>> Gary Neville.

[00:03:40]>> What?

[00:03:40]>> Gary Neville. I know.

[00:03:42]>> Gary Neville.

[00:03:44]you know, the man who thinks that the problems in Britain are all made by people like us who I presume he would describe as uh angry middle-aged white men.

[00:03:54]>> But can I can I just clarify? Would he be running for Labor or for the Greens?

[00:03:58]>> Well, I mean, who knows? Um, you know, probably from the Champagne Socialist Party. Well, he is. Yeah. Champagne Socialist Party.

[00:04:05]>> Open borders.

[00:04:06]>> Yeah, exactly. Right. Now, let's go back to your choices, though, because I believe last night you invited applicants for the role uh of who should stand um in Makerfield and um then I think you closed it. So, have you got are you are you can you say anything about who you might be going for? We've got some uh we've got some great applicants, Mike, and uh when we we're obviously moving at great speed, but we'll go through the selection process and we yeah, we we're going to have uh whoever is selected uh we think will be a cracking cracking uh candidate to to beat Andy Bernham and have to work incredibly hard. I mean, it's going to be it's going to be the mother of all bi-elections.

[00:04:52]>> Yeah, I think so. And a lot of people saying to me as well that reform have to be careful that they don't try and do what um Bernham's doing which is to carpet bag somebody in there and get somebody local. And I mean some people are suggesting to me Maggie Oliver might be a good candidate. I don't know whether she's in the frame.

[00:05:07]>> As I say um there are some good candidates in the frame and we'll obviously make a selection rapidly and onwards and upwards. What is unclear though and this is important is the likely time frame for this violation because >> the the Labour party the chief whip has to move the rigs. He could potentially wait some months.

[00:05:32]>> Yeah.

[00:05:33]>> And that obviously would would be very bad for for everybody actually.

[00:05:38]>> Yeah.

[00:05:39]>> And bad for what's the procedure?

[00:05:41]>> It would mean the whole thing would be in complete limbo.

[00:05:43]>> Yes. Because my understanding of the procedure is that if the chief whip is, shall we say, a bit slow in in in in uh uh in in setting setting the the starting gun. Um the speaker of the house could do it. Would that happen?

[00:05:59]>> That's my understanding too and opposition parties such as ourselves would be pushing hard for the rip to be moved on the basis that it's in the public interest. So look, I think uh all all of that is is to be looked at hard and fast.

[00:06:14]>> I think it's in everybody's interest to uh to to get this bi-election underway.

[00:06:21]We're we're raring to go and yeah, it um it would not be good for the country to have a long protracted uh sort of gradual death spiral or fall uh for this prime minister in electoral terms.

[00:06:36]>> No. Exactly right. And I mean you might remember it as I do. Um I don't think we've got it today to play it but you remember when um Kia Stan was asked I think it was on the eve of the election in 2024 in July and he said we are ready to govern in every department. We are ready to hit the ground running. Um he said that he had a full team in place.

[00:06:56]They were all absolutely clued up as to what to do as soon as they, you know, sat down in the chair uh in in the great states, you know, the great sort of um departments of state. And he couldn't have been more wrong. You know, he obviously they weren't ready for anything. I mean, even you could not have foreseen the shambles that has now become this government. I mean, it's embarrassing. I mean, people people tell me now wherever they go on holiday abroad, whether it's Australia, America, Canada, the Philippines, you know, everywhere you go, people go, "What's going on in Britain?" Because the place seems to have gone insane.

[00:07:31]>> Well, um, but of course, that's what happens when hard-left socialists take over running a country and they're in the process of running out of uh of our money. And we we've been humiliated on the international stage with U-turn after U-turn after U-turn. I think the last count was about 24. There's more than one U-turn a month they've been in office and internationally whether it's the uh the chaos uh over the ludicrous plan to pay to give away the vital strategic interest of the Chaos Islands um and so on and the the dithering and flip-flopping over other international affairs.

[00:08:12]um we just we just look weak, we look incompetent. And when the mighty Royal Navy was instructed to take to the high seas, it turned out they needed a bit of WD40 um uh to uh you know to sort of uh lubricant the one ship that we might have available and that only lasted a couple of weeks before it needed more maintenance. I mean, it's just embarrassing.

[00:08:33]>> It really is. and and and shockingly uh bad organization from within because in Downey Street right now, I mean, I I sort of wake up every morning and think to myself, imagine what it must be like to be Kier Stalmer waking up in Downey Street every morning. He don't think he's got a chief of staff. He's lost several of them. I don't think he's got a chief of communications, although that may that may that may may not be true.

[00:08:54]His wife doesn't like him very much. You know, his kids probably not speaking to him. You know, wanders downstairs. He looks around. You know, nobody's really nobody's really talking. Anyway, I just imagine this scene of like a sort of lone figure, you know, looking for friends >> that you're going to send him your CV to try and help him out.

[00:09:13]Well, I mean, I could go in there as a sort of sleeper cell scenario, you know, and see if I could actually actually change the locks without him knowing about it and just go just go outside for a bit and then when he comes back in, he can't get back in because he's not he's literally I've never I said the other day he's like one of these recalcitant ch children that you take to the pub and you know 2:30 he refuses to leave and you can't get him back in the car.

[00:09:34]That's what he's that's what he's like.

[00:09:37]>> It is. and it's quite clear that he's going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of number 10 as and when there is a a leadership election. Um but but also you know the rules are quite tight to get to 81 supporters to be a candidate means that in reality there's I would have thought there's a maximum of two other candidates >> um as well as Starmmer who automatically goes on the ballot paper. He doesn't need 81 supporters as I understand.

[00:10:08]>> Um but you know he'll have the whole of the government you he'll have a sort of a um uh the the government whip of about 150.

[00:10:17]>> Uh they've got 400 MPs. So that leaves 250. Well a couple of 81s that's 160. I don't see how they I don't really see how they get a third candidate against him. I think it'll be >> two against him or possibly a coalescence around one.

[00:10:31]>> Right. Well, this is the thing. Somebody points out to me this morning that 400 odd MPs, they can't find one of them that they think would be a good choice to go up against the guy who's in charge. So, they have to bring somebody in from the outside. It's it's quite extraordinary. But, you know, that's the other thing um is that if in fact um you looked at where's streeting yesterday, you know, he sort of fired the starting gun into his own head, didn't he?

[00:10:53]Because, you know, he kind of said, "Right, I'm coming for you." And then it was like he was already yesterday's man before he got to the end of Downing Street. But but actually remember it turns out there were a couple of blanks in the gun before he got to because that's right because because people have been expecting him to to pull the trigger for some time, >> right?

[00:11:10]>> But but nothing was happening. Nothing was coming out. No. Um and uh so I mean you know it's um uh it's it's beggars's belief and I think he realized that he couldn't get the numbers and also of course he's got his own constituency to worry about which where his majority where's treating's majority is only about just over 500.

[00:11:32]>> Yeah.

[00:11:33]>> So he's in all sorts of difficulty.

[00:11:37]My hunch now is that he doesn't become a candidate in the leadership election and that he does some form of deal >> uh with uh another candidate. Obviously we hope that Bernham won't be on the candidate list because we intend to defeat him in the bi-election. Uh and then that that gets interesting because then the left are going to have to coales around someone else.

[00:12:01]>> I mean is it possible that we end up being stuck with Star just because they can't figure out what to do?

[00:12:07]Well, I mean that is >> and already I mean people are now even the Sun the Sun this morning are calling for a general election which is what I've been saying for ages because people kept telling me that won't happen but but people are now saying have a general election. Even Andy Burnham thought the Tories should have had one in 2022 when they changed their >> Well, there we are. I mean if if if Star is the uh is the answer then Starageddon is the problem. That is for sure. And it's like doubled down.

[00:12:31]>> Uh we've got more of this. Um but of course we must be delighted uh amongst all of this noise that Redd Mad Milliband has got a terrible plan to literally he's going to legislate to ban any new uh oil and gas fields from being explored in the North Sea. Um what I can delight your listeners and viewers with Mike is that the moment there's a reform government one of the first things that we repeal is that dreadful idea. I mean it's just gross negligence. It's unbelievable.

[00:13:01]>> It really is. I know you've got to run, but just one final thing. Um, apart from the Zack Palansky story this morning, which is on the front page of the Times, um, where he says he didn't even manage to vote actually on the the Thursday, last Thursday's elections, even though he said he did. Just one final story because it was so horrifying. Um, page 17 of The Sun, a young waitress was knocked unconscious by a violent asylum seeker who then went on the run basically in Bournemouth, one of the worst asylum seeker hotel places in Britain. Um, uh, punched her, knocked her out cold. um and is now nowhere to be seen. Nobody knows where he is. And she's going, you know, he's in in his ab in his absence, he's been sentenced to um a custodial sentence, but he's a dangerous man wandering our streets, one of thousands, no doubt. I mean, when is this going to stop?

[00:13:46]>> Well, it only stops when you detain these illegal invaders of our country.

[00:13:51]And uh of course he should have been when he was arrested he should have been detained in custody and and you know until the trial when if he was guilty then he would have been sentenced and and hopefully jailed or kicked out of the country.

[00:14:05]>> Yeah. Yeah. He's from Eratraa you know lovely part of the world but there we are. Anyway listen >> well you know what you know what's happening just to finish. Apparently um lots of these illegals from elsewhere in the world are claiming to be Eratrayan because that gave gives them a greater sympathy vote in the home office.

[00:14:22]>> Really God.

[00:14:24]>> Apparently >> absolutely ridiculous. Ridiculous.

[00:14:26]Anyway, Richard, have a great weekend.

[00:14:27]Good to see you. Thank you very much indeed. Who knows what's going to happen in the next few days. Almost anything is possible. Richard Ty there, deputy leader of reform, uh saying they've got a great candidate that they are going to pick over the course of the next couple of days. Uh the applications all came in yesterday. Um many of you may wish to uh give us your views on who should run uh against Andy Burnham up in Manchester.

[00:14:49]Uh because of course we know how you like a pole.