First the 2026 local elections happened
In Wigan, which includes Makerfield, 24 out of 25 wards elected Reform councillors in the May 2026 council elections. A shock result as far as I was concerned. It made it obvious that many people were turning away from parties they had supported until that time, and were falling for the Reform slogans and rhetoric. But why?
Many I spoke to at the time gave their reasons for voting Reform:
“The Conservatives messed it up, Labour is no better – taking the winter fuel allowance off pensioners. It’s time to give someone else a chance.”
When I challenged those same people about Reform, the answers were: “No, they are not that bad, not really right wing – they won’t deport all immigrants, they want to protect women and children. We need to stop the boats and look after our own people.”
“And it won’t affect you, you’ve been here so long, you’re one of us now.”
Except, of course, I am still an immigrant. A legal one with the right to stay, at least for now while settled status still means something.
What struck me was that none of the people I spoke to had actually checked what Reform said in their manifesto. Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), what would that actually mean? “No, they will make British laws to let us keep our rights, they wouldn’t take things like maternity pay or sick pay off us, they won’t allow fire and rehire again … ”
I am not convinced.
Then a big shock to the system
Then news reached the constituency that Makerfield’s Labour MP, Josh Simons, intended to stand down.
I was shocked. I felt a sense of betrayal. Fear for what would happen next. A by-election, and what if Reform were to win?
I would have a Reform MP representing me, and Reform could never represent my ideas and values.
The first bus arrives within days
Even before the by-election date was set or candidates were announced, I found myself following a Reform bus onto the carpark of my local supermarket when going for my fortnightly shop.
I checked whether the supermarket had given them permission to stand there, as I did not want to shop at a business that openly endorsed a political party, and especially not one I think very little of.
Supermarket staff checked with headquarters and when they were sure there was no permission someone went to ask for the bus to be moved.
When I challenged some of the people who had come off the bus, I was told they were “just a bunch of people standing in a supermarket carpark looking at a bus, and there’s nothing political about that”.
I told them that a turquoise Reform bus definitely had a strong political vibe, and was then told to “get lost”.
According to bystanders, after some initial resistance, the bus was finally moved on.
I shopped at a different supermarket that day.
Candidates were announced. Some were well known in the area, like Michael Winstanley for the Conservatives and obviously Andy Burnham. Others such as Jake Austin of the Liberal Democrats and Sarah Wakefield of the Green Party made their debuts in an election attracting international attention. Some were known from the national playing field, like Count Binface and Howling Laud Hope – denoting the eccentricities of the British political carnival. But many of the 14 were less well-known or completely unknown.
![Large carcboard totu]em pole with some sexist or misogynistic social media quotes](https://northwestbylines.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Totem-pole-of-truth-210x1000.jpg)
Reform UK candidate and party
Reform UK picked an unknown, Robert Kenyon, a local tradesman (okay, from Haydock), a self-employed plumber like the Green MP Hannah Spencer who beat the Reform candidate Matt Goodwin in the Gorton and Denton by-election, and an army reservist. Scrutiny of Kenyon reached a local and national fever pitch when, inevitably, his previous social media posts were found revealing him to be a self-confessed sexist who had made a series of serious misogynist remarks and had endorsed those of others, and who refused to apologise for his ill-advised comments, even those from only a few years ago. Reform leader Nigel Farage, when challenged, blithely dismissed these as a “few laddish things”.
The absolute lowest point of the Reform campaign was the picture shared on social media by two local Reform councillors, who stood smiling next to a man holding a banner declaring he’d rather vote for Jimmy Savile than for Labour.
Reform first claimed it was an AI mock up and tried to convince voters by posting a real AI mock up of the banner with the offensive slogan removed and presenting it as the original. But after the count both councillors admitted the Jimmy Savile banner picture was real and apologised for any upset they had caused. The incident is now being investigated by their party.
Not the party to represent me.
Restore Britain candidate and party
Restore Britain put forward a local candidate, Wigan businesswoman Rebecca Shepherd, who seemed clean on social media, but was never given the chance to really explain to people what she stood for. Instead, Restore social media posts made it reasonably clear – a chance to bring back the death penalty for the most serious crimes, seemingly dismissing the egregious and fatal miscarriages of justice of the past.
The next big point they make is to ban halal slaughter, as it causes unnecessary suffering for animals without a mention of ‘country sports’ where foxes are hunted and ripped apart by dogs for entertainment.
Not the party to represent me.
Labour candidate and party
Burnham stepped forward as the Labour candidate, and this time his candidacy wasn’t blocked by the party’s NEC as it was when he wanted to stand in Gorton and Denton. He made a point of contacting action groups in the area, listening to their problems and getting to know exactly what was going on; the flooding problems in Platt Bridge, Ashton-in-Makerfield library and policing, the illegal tip in Bickershaw, the proposed developments in Winstanley and Hindley.
He demonstrated a keen interest in local concerns and what communities need help with as the previous MP, Josh Simons, had done. Connecting with people. Carefully noting what the constituency needs from Westminster.
Canvassing as Makerfield has never seen before
The canvassing was relentless. Leaflets and door knocking, mainly by Labour, Reform and Restore, although Reform seemed to have skipped my street as I never had a knock from them.
I received postal leaflets from the Greens and the Lib Dems, one each.
I never received Carol Vorderman’s letter, or Sarah Pochin’s. I’m not sure I would have wanted that second one anyway.
The closer the election day came, the more posters showed up in windows and posts in gardens, even if someone was seen removing Labour’s posts.
And the more people you would see walking the streets with a bunch of leaflets in their hands, usually in groups of three or four.
This was unprecedented. In my 37 years in Britain I have never seen politicians walking the street, never had a knock on the door.
Maybe in all those years Makerfield was considered such a safe Labour seat that nobody thought it was necessary or worthwhile to run a campaign like these three parties did on this occasion.
The relief of polling day
It was a relief when polling day came. I wasn’t allowed to vote, being a European with settled status. I can work, pay tax and NI, but I don’t have the right to vote for which government gets to spend my taxes, but taxation without representation is another story.
Most of the smaller parties never had a serious chance. Some even lost their deposits. In the end, there was one winner and none of the others really came close.
Burnham’s rally after being elected
So now Labour’s Andy Burnham is our new MP. Let’s see if he shows the same commitment as Josh Simons did to the area. But I am hopeful. He has started well.
And as he said at the rally the day after he was elected:
What a team, what a campaign!
We’re gonna miss Galloways!
This campaign was won by a band of strong northern power women, I wouldn’t mess with them!
Going back to May…the people here… issued a call, in fact an instruction for change.
We need an economy that works for everybody, not a few.
We need an end to ‘trickle down economics’ which didn’t trickle down very much at all to places like this.
It’s about time we start backing British business and British industry.
It is our last chance to change, but we are going to take it.
I will work relentlessly to make what the people here voted for, happen.
And ps … someone please fix the traffic lights on Liverpool Road!
All pictures courtesy of the Bylines team.
Friends of Bylines Network
There has never been a greater need for grassroots journalism that investigates the stories that really matter, holds power to account and champions the voices of everyday citizens. We are proudly powered by volunteers but what we do isn’t free.
STAND WITH US for independent, citizen-led journalism that makes democracy stronger, and you will even get some exclusive benefits.
