On Broxton Avenue in Orrell, one of the more affluent suburbs of Wigan, it is possible to spot a microcosm of the broader battle that is being fought in the Makerfield by-election.
There are three neighbouring bungalows where each household has placards and posters declaring their support for a different political party; one is for Labour, one for Reform UK and one for right-wing insurgents, Restore.
Voters and insiders told The i Paper this reflects the issue that has dominated the Makerfield campaign more than anything – who will lead the country after Sir Keir Starmer.
More than small boats crossing the Channel, more than the cost of living crisis and more than housing, people are explicitly deciding who to vote for based on who they would like to be Prime Minister, they have said.
It suggests that everything is on the line for Starmer, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Reform leader Nigel Farage and, to a lesser extent, Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe when the polls open next Thursday.
Despite Labour’s lead in the polls, there are posters and placards backing Reform’s Rob Kenyon throughout the constituency (Photo: Joel Goodman)No one was home when The i Paper knocked on the door of the Labour-supporting household, but the placard outside tells a story in itself.
“Andy Burnham: For Us”, it reads, accompanied by the familiar cartoon caricature of the Mayor of Greater Manchester. No mention of the Labour Party.
Such signs have popped up all over Makerfield as Burnham plays a delicate game of trying to distance himself from his party and a leader that appears to be almost universally unpopular among constituents, while also promising that a vote for him is a vote to change it.
But across the road, David, a 66-year-old retired electrician, isn’t having any of it.
“Andy Burnham coming in for Labour, I’ve found it disrespectful, he’s coming in for one reason and that’s to move on in a few months time,” he said, referencing Burnham’s leadership ambitions.
“I’m totally against that. It’s disrespecting voters, it’s career politics.”
David describes himself as a “patriotic person” with “core values” that would normally align him with the Conservatives.
But aware that the Tories have no realistic chance of winning in Makerfield he’s decided to back Reform.
“I’m not 100 per cent behind [Nigel] Farage but he’s the nearest one,” said David.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s campaign has made little mention of the Labour Party (Photo: Joel Goodman)Illegal immigration is his biggest concern, and he rejects the idea that right-wing parties such as Reform and Restore are inflaming community tensions.
“I don’t think they [Reform] go too far, they just want everybody to be equal and play by the rules and I don’t think that’s happened in this country,” he added.
For his 75-year-old neighbour, Susan, who asked us not to use her real name, Reform is not hardline enough when it comes to immigration.
“I don’t think Nigel Farage would do what he says on immigration, but I think Rupert Lowe would,” she told The i Paper.
She blames immigrants for her daughter’s struggles to find a house and for the run-down state of another part of Wigan where her son lives.
And most strikingly, she sees her vote as a way to vent at the current Prime Minister.
A Burnham poster is covered by a Reform UK sticker in Makerfield (Photo: Joel Goodman)“Keir Starmer – I hate him, I’m sorry I never say that word but I hate him,” Susan added.
“He never answers a question – I’ve watched him and he just goes round and round.”
David agreed that such language reflects how “divided” the Makerfield constituency and the country as a whole seem to be, especially around political figures.
But he says there is no bad blood between neighbours, despite their differences.
“No, I know the lady across the road, I put her bins out, I don’t agree with her politics but I will still do it afterwards [the election],” he added.
At Posthouse, an independent bar and restaurant in the centre of Orrell, co-owner Adam Round says he isn’t sure who he will vote for, but it “definitely won’t be Labour” because of tax increases which have made business harder.
“The price of everything is going up,” he said.
Voters in Makerfield are preparing to head to the polls next Thursday (Photo: Joel Goodman)“We keep having to increase our prices and then customers start saying it’s too expensive.
“We’ve managed to grow year on year, we’ve done a lot of work in terms of events and offering more to customers.
“It’s great considering a lot of places in the industry are shutting down.
“When it’s busy, everyone says ‘you’re doing great’ but once you take out taxes, VAT and everything, you’re not left with much.”
It remains a tough environment for residents and businesses across Makerfield, nowhere more so than in Platt Bridge.
On New Year’s Day last year, the area was among many in Greater Manchester hit by severe flooding.
When The i Paper visited at the time, residents were left devastated as their homes were left destroyed.
Burnham has been seen canvassing in the area throughout the campaign (Photo: Anthony Devlin/Getty)Eighteen months on, they are still counting the cost.
The owner of one store, who asked not to be identified, said he lost £50,000 of stock and received little help from any of the local authorities.
There is still no consensus on exactly what caused the flooding, leaving him in constant fear that it may happen again.
“Every time it rains, you’re worried”, he said.
The understandable anger and frustration in Platt Bridge make it fertile territory for Labour’s opponents.
The shop owner who spoke to The i Paper said Reform had asked to put posters in his window but he declined, saying he feels it is important as a local business not to “take sides”.
Burnham has made a point of visiting the area in person, arranging a meeting with local people where he pledged to bring all the relevant authorities together to agree a plan of action to prevent “repeat flooding” if elected.
It won’t be enough for some voters, however.
Angela Reed, a 56-year-old carer feels Rob Kenyon, Reform’s candidate, is ‘an ordinary person like ourselves’ (Photo: Joel Goodman)Angela Reed, a 56-year-old carer in Platt Bridge, says she’s going to vote for Reform.
She feels Rob Kenyon, Reform’s candidate, is “an ordinary person like ourselves”, adding: “We need to make a change. People up here, we get left out, northern people.”
Angela is another voter who says she wants to express her dissatisfaction with Starmer.
She references recent disturbing incidents of crime – the attempted beheading in Belfast and a school stabbing closer to home in north Manchester – saying: “What’s going on in this world, it’s awful, you’re not safe any more on the streets.
“I listen to Nigel Farage and he seems to make more sense, otherwise it’s never going to stop.
“People do feel a bit upset and forgotten about round here.”
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