Makerfield by-election result proves what some of us have always known: if you engage with the British electorate and listen to their concerns, they will vote for ya!

Politicians can learn a bit from this result.

Trying to meet the electorate in the middle is still possible. We are in 2026 and cannot take the country back to 1960 as some want, but politicians need to engage in discussions and explain to the people living in poverty, how they intend to help them back to their feet! Explain how you will control immigration by ensuring people come in via due process and not by rowing in through the English Channel. Explain how they will improve our services and infrastructure e.g. housing, such that people have enough and they don’t have to get angry when some of it is handed out to migrants coming into the country.
Ignoring these matters and ploughing ahead, is what gets the public riled and breeds intolerance. Andy Burnham went around Makerfield and talked to the electorate and guess what, he won a staggering 55% of the vote, even as people have been voting against his party up and down the country. The British electorate is a tough but fair crowd, if politicians stop labelling people right-wing or left-wing and just hear everyone out, even those saying crazy stuff, listen to them and try to explain the reason why some things are just so complicated, things will improve! And for goodness sakes, create new jobs, get people out of poverty!!!! Being stuck in abject poverty is what breeds resentment..

As for the small matter of Burnham seeking to oust the PM, that’s most unfortunate as solutions should be brought to the table, instead of swapping out PMs. We’ve already see the ones rushing in to whack VAT on private schools and do not need a fresh set of north v south crap. Taking the whole country forward is better than trying to level up and stagnate