Reform Will Print Burnham’s “I Want to Rejoin” Words on Makerfield Leaflets
The Telegraph understands that Reform UK will make “Brexit betrayal” one of its key attack lines in the Makerfield by-election campaign, and intends to print Andy Burnham’s Labour conference 2025 words about wanting to rejoin the EU on its leaflets. Reform leader Nigel Farage said in an interview: “He would be a disaster for the economy and betray every Brexit voter in the constituency. ‘Open borders Burnham’ must be stopped.” Josh Simons, who is vacating the Makerfield seat to make way for Burnham, won it by a majority of just 5,399 over Reform UK at the 2024 general election — and Labour’s polling has weakened in the constituency since.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said in an interview: “Whilst Labour re-litigate Brexit, Britain is not being governed.” Dan Carden MP, the Blue Labour leader, said: “There’s nothing wrong with talking about rebuilding our relationship with Europe, but my party still looks at Brexit and thinks people were fooled by Farage. I don’t think that… It would be far better to focus government resources on making the most of our sovereign freedoms in trade and defence and foreign policy. And start talking confidently about Britain’s place in the world, and stop whining about Brexit.” Jon Trickett MP said Labour “needs to honour the democratic decision… It feels a bit defeatist to me.” Lord Glasman called Streeting’s position a misreading of national mood.