𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andrew Neil has launched a scathing attack on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, dismissing his attempts to blame Margaret Thatcher for the UK’s economic struggles. The veteran broadcaster and former Times editor was responding to a video released by Mr Burnham in which the Mayor, who is seeking selection as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, criticised the deindustrialisation of the 1980s.

In the campaign video, Mr Burnham said Britain had been “on the wrong path for the last 40 years”, describing the deindustrialisation of the 1980s as “devastating for places across Makerfield like Ashton in Makerfield, Orrell, Winstanley, Hindley, Platt Bridge”. He spoke of “the draining away of economic, social and political power” from such communities. Mr Burnham directly replied to Mr Neil on X: “You need to get out of London, Andrew. You’ve clearly got no idea how much people here are struggling. And, yes, a lot of it can be traced back to Margaret Thatcher.”

Mr Neil hit back sharply: “Nice to hear from you, Andy. Thanks for the by-election. We live for such things.”

While accepting that “life is tough for lots of folk in Makerfield”, Mr Neil rejected any portrayal of the area as a “poster child for urban squalor/deprivation”.

He noted that Mrs Thatcher left office in 1990 and was succeeded by seven years of John Major’s government, followed by 13 years of Labour administrations in which Mr Burnham served as a minister.

He wrote: “It’s quite a stretch to blame her for any continuing woes. Unless we blame Labour for failing to put anything right.”

Mr Neil drew particular attention to the houses featured in Mr Burnham’s campaign video. He said: “The houses you were walking past were bought by the tenants under Thatcher’s right to buy scheme, which has given them some pride in place and some wealth they once could only have dreamt of accumulating.”

He also challenged Mr Burnham’s pledge to “renationalise housing”, asking whether this would include taking those former council homes back into public ownership.

He added: “Even if that would constitute a proper, radical reversal of the Thatcherism you’re (somewhat bizarrely) campaigning against.”

The sharp exchange has attracted widespread attention online. Labour has controlled Wigan Council for decades and held the Makerfield seat continuously since 1983. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the sitting Labour MP, Josh Simons.

Makerfield, in the Wigan borough of Greater Manchester, remains a traditional Labour stronghold but is being contested by Reform UK.

Mr Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, is viewed by many as a potential future leadership contender. His campaign has sought to highlight ongoing challenges in former industrial areas and position him as a champion of greater devolution and regional investment.

Mr Neil’s robust response has revived debates over Margaret Thatcher’s legacy in northern England more than 35 years after she left Downing Street.

Many of his supporters argue that persistent local issues cannot credibly be attributed solely to 1980s policies after prolonged periods of Labour governance both locally and nationally.