𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sitting in a cosy pub in the heart of Makerfield, it’s hard to avoid the strings of bunting festooning the old fireplace and draped across the brickwork of this most traditional of Northern watering holes. I jokingly ask the landlady whether it’s all in honour of the predicted coronation of Andy Burnham, should Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate win the hearts of this kingmaker constituency on June 18.

“No, love,” she replies dryly. “It’s for the World Cup.” Ah. So that explains why there are no portraits of the would-be PM in sight? From further down the bar, a middle-aged man with a twinkly smile joins the banter. “No chance,” he parries. “We’ve burnt them all.” Ouch.

Certainly, if there is any suggestion that Labour’s candidate is going to ace the by-election next month it’s hard to see any signs of it. Walking round the constituency, past the nail bars, tattoo shops and convenience stores, there are no placards or posters supporting the Mayor (or as he might wish, Messiah) of Manchester. Though in fairness there’s not much evidence from the other parties contesting the seat either.

But in casual conversation with those who live here – in the little bakery where I buy a slightly over-sweet cappuccino, in a hardware shop, even with a man eating a bag of chips in his car outside the shuttered shopping centre – there seems to be little appetite for the man who would be their MP and then, presumably, our PM. One lady, a lifetime Labour supporter, tells me the party is “finished”, another that Burnham will be “more of the same”. As for who will take their votes, Reform and even Restore are mentioned (though not the Greens).

Astonishing really, when you consider this post-industrial constituency has been under Labour control since 1983. However, here, among the suburban estates, former pit villages and small-town high streets, those I speak to have a singular message: the appalling management of Britain under Labour means the time for change has come.

Before going on, I should stress that, unlike those from the southern commentariat and the Westminster bubble, currently analysing Makerfield’s residents as though they were part of a laboratory experiment, these are not patronising “oop North” observations.

I was born and bred in Manchester, have always lived here and know the city and its surrounding boroughs well. So, speaking from a grassroots perspective, when I hear people talk about the brass neck of Burnham shamelessly using voters to shore up his own political ambitions, not least in a constituency that already has a Labour MP, I don’t just sympathise in the abstract. I’m part of the earth here.

Indeed, I’m growing heartily sick of what I’ve come to call “Manc-explaining” – the habit, from all points of the political compass, of proclaiming that this self-styled King of the North is somehow the answer to the country’s ailments. (In fact we Mancunians hate being termed Mancs). The truth is that the people of Makerfield deserve more than a carpetbagger who, in presenting himself as the embodiment of northern England, seems to believe geography alone confers authenticity. And who appears to regard his would-be constituents as little more than stepping stones to political glory.

Of course, I can see the success of his Bee Network: Manchester’s unified, integrated public transport system. But is that really the strongest mandate Burnham has for running the country? Setting aside the fact that he has already failed twice – twice! – to secure the Labour leadership, his time as Manchester`s mayor has hardly been an unqualified success.

Under his watch, as police and crime commissioner, Greater Manchester Police was placed into special measures; he has struggled to get on top of the homelessness crisis so visible in so many city-centre doorways; and was criticised for his handling of the Rochdale grooming scandal. Then there’s the £100million squandered on his abandoned “clean air zone” scheme. And that`s before the additional £4million or so it will cost to run a by-election for a new mayor of Manchester (despite Burnham previously pledging to serve out his full term).

Makefield (and Manchester) deserves more. Before I leave the area, I pass St John’s Methodist Church in Hindley, where a sign in the courtyard offers a quote from Jeremiah: “Call to me and I will answer you.” With no disrespect to those who find spiritual succour in the message, I can’t help wondering whether it`s one Andy Burnham might hope to echo. For the sake of the good people here, I hope he doesn`t have a prayer.