Nigel Farage is planning to put Andy Burnham’s pro-European stance at the heart of Reform UK’s campaign to stop the Greater Manchester Mayor returning to Westminster, The i Paper understands.
The Reform leader has vowed to “throw everything” at beating Burnham in the Makerfield by-election – and it is understood this will include highlighting his previous comments about wanting the UK to rejoin the European Union “in my lifetime”.
Burnham already faces a tough battle in the forthcoming by-election. After being cleared to run by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on Friday he must now be selected as candidate by local party officials – and will then face a battle against Reform’s candidate, who is yet to be named.
At the 2024 general election Josh Simons, who is vacating the “Red Wall” seat to give Burnham a chance to challenge Sir Keir Starmer, secured a majority of 5,399, ahead of Reform in second place.
Reform strategists see this vote tally of fewer than 6,000 as an easy target, and are buoyed by last week’s local elections in which Farage’s party won all of Makerfield’s eight wards, with more than 50 per cent of the vote to Labour’s 22.7 per cent.
And in the 2016 Brexit referendum the Wigan Council area, which includes Makerfield, voted 64 per cent in favour of leaving the European Union.
‘I see this country rejoining the European Union’
At a fringe event during the Labour conference last year, Burnham said: “I’m going to be honest. I’m going to say I want to rejoin. I hope, in my lifetime, I see this country rejoining the European Union.”
This went further than the Starmer Government’s stated position of not rejoining the EU.
But as he prepares to make a dramatic return to Westminster politics after nearly a decade as Greater Manchester Mayor, Burnham is planning to tone down his pro-European credentials in a bid to secure Makerfield.
He has reassured supportive MPs in the Red Wall that he is not “going to go big” on Europe in his pitch to the party and voters.
One said: “Of course he will talk about a closer relationship but he has said he is not going to start talking about rejoining the EU.” Another ally said: “ He will be acutely aware of the views of the people of Makerfield and is not going to be dragged into a debate about rejoining the EU.”
Asked whether Reform would go big on Burnham’s 2025 comments about rejoining, a source close to Farage said: “We will.”
Reform have a ‘cracking’ chance of winning – Tice
And deputy leader Richard Tice claimed the party has a “cracking” chance of winning the race.
Tice, the MP for Boston and Skegness, said his party was looking forward to the by-election, adding that “the sooner [it is held] the better”.
He said Reform would be nominating a strong local candidate who would have a strong chance of winning the seat, telling Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday: “[Reform will be] throwing everything possible [at the seat].”
If the writ triggering the by-election is moved by Parliament next week, as expected, the poll could be held as early as Thursday 18 June.
Reform and Labour are already campaigning on the ground in Makerfield but this will intensify next week, once both parties’ candidates are selected.
By-election one of the most important in years
If Burnham is selected as Labour’s candidate, it will be one of the most consequential by-elections in decades, as it will play a direct role in deciding the next prime minister and whether the Labour Government shifts to the left under his leadership.
It is also expected to be one of the most brutal parliamentary battles.
Farage’s party will mobilise an army of campaigners to canvass the Greater Manchester constituency, with regular visits from the leader expected.
Reform leaflets are likely to include Burnham’s “in my lifetime” comments about rejoining the EU.
But Farage is also facing an inquiry by parliament’s ethics watchdog over his £5m donation from a crypto billionaire.
Burnham wants to prove he can beat Reform
It is understood that Burnham has chosen to take on Reform in this potentially difficult contest for his party precisely because he wants to prove that Labour can beat Farage at the next general election.
The Green Party of England and Wales in a statement suggested they would contest the seat, although former leader Caroline Lucas said she hoped this was not the case and that Green voters would back Burnham as a left-wing candidate to block Reform.
She wrote on X: “There are times when it’s more important to put country before party. This is one of them.
“Burnham’s long-standing commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy and counter [the] dire threat of a Reform UK government.”
Labour MP and NEC member Luke Akehurst said it would be a difficult challenge to beat Reform.
He told Today: “I don’t underestimate the scale of the task for the Labour Party even with a very high-profile candidate that’s the local mayor to hold that seat.”
Simons also said there was no guarantee that Labour would be able to keep the seat, telling BBC Manchester it would be “a really, really, really tough fight” against Reform.
But he added: “Sometimes in history, when people take risks and they say, ‘I think this is the right fight to have, but I don’t know if we’re going to win it’, that’s what changes the story. That’s what changes the course of things.”
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