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On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the host focused on the upcoming UK byelections and the decisive role that Makerfield could play in the race.
As a relatively small area between Manchester and Liverpool in northern England, it’s rare that Makerfield is in the global spotlight – with the exception of the Wallace and Gromit films (the animated comedy duo live in the area’s town of Wigan).
After Labour prime minister Keir Starmer’s 2024 win broke 14 years of Conservative rule, things have not been rosy for the leader. “He’s been in office less than two years, but has failed to kickstart Britain’s sluggish economy,” said Oliver.
“He also made the disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson was known to be a longtime friend of Jeffrey Epstein.”
Donald Trump said of Starmer: “This is not Winston Churchill that we are dealing with.”
After Labour lost more than 1,400 seats in local UK elections this May, Starmer has faced pressure to resign with many in the party feeling that Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is the best choice to replace him. The snag in the plan is that Burnham is not a sitting member of UK parliament, which a candidate needs to be to run for prime minister.
This is where Makerfield comes in. The Labour MP for the constituency recently resigned to “allow Burnham to run in a byelection there, this coming Thursday”, said Oliver. “If Burnham wins, he’s already confirmed that he’ll challenge Starmer to become prime minister.”
Makerfield’s 76,000 registered voters will now play a critical role in deciding the political future of the UK. “The whole thing is fucking bonkers,” said Oliver.
Starmer has become deeply unpopular since becoming prime minster in 2024, in large part due to his pandering to the right. Last year, he classified the pro-Palestine group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. Many former Labour supporters have been drawn to the UK’s Green Party.
Last month Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform party gained nearly 1,500 seats in local byelections. “Bigotry and grievance have propelled the Reform party forward, despite Farage’s significant baggage,” said Oliver. Farage is now under investigation by the UK’s parliamentary standards commissioner after accepting a £5m ($6.7m) personal gift from a Reform donor.
Reform is now being challenged by an even further right-leaning party called Restore Britain, with Elon Musk recently posting: “Only Restore Britain can save Britain.”
“The fact that Restore is gaining support should be pretty alarming, given how poisonous their policies are,” said Oliver. He then played a campaign statement from leader Rupert Lowe describing his aim to tackle the “creep of radical Islam” and reimpose “our Christian based rule of law”.
“Oh, fucking spare me Rupert,” said Oliver. “The point is: with Reform on the rise and Restore pulling it even further to the right, Britain risks heading in a very dark direction. In the immediate future, the only party able to stop that slide is Labour.”
Burnham made headlines in 2020 after holding then prime minister Boris Johnson to account for inadequate Covid policies, helping him become known as “the King of the North”. He is ranked as the UK’s most popular politician.
Makerfield has been a safe Labour seat for 120 years but is now more unpredictable, with 65% of residents voting for Brexit. Some constituents feel that Burnham is using Makerfield as a “stepping stone to get into number 10”, given that he does not live in the constituency.
Reform is challenging Burnham with Robert Kenyon, a candidate born in Makerfield and “a salt of the earth guy”, pointed out Oliver, adding that “his online history is a fucking mess”.
Many of Kenyon’s social media posts have recently resurfaced including one that said: “I’m sexist, sorry but I am.” He has also been questioned for a 2021 post where he wrote the thumbs-up emoji in response to a sexually inappropriate comment about the UK TV personality Carol Vorderman.
“Kenyon still hasn’t apologized for those comments, continuing to defend himself claiming that he’s just an ordinary person who is ‘rough around the edges’,” said Oliver.
“It is really hard not to feel for the voters of Makerfield here, who have been at the center of an absolute circus over the last month,” the host continued. “A Burnham loss would be a huge success for Farage’s Reform party, and a humiliation for Labour so devastating that they may never recover.
“If Labour loses this byelection, and what ultimately comes out of it is prime minister Farage, that is going to be hard to swallow.”
