Movers, shakers and Makerfield

The Makerfield by-election is expected to take place exactly one month from today, on June 18. And if Andy Burnham wins it, few doubt it will be read as the opening move in a Labour leadership challenge.

At the weekend, Wes Streeting confirmed he too would stand in any future contest. In the same breath, he described Brexit as “a catastrophic mistake” and argued Britain should “one day” rejoin the EU – not a million miles away from Burnham’s own position last September.

Burnham allies, seemingly unfamiliar with the Streisand Effect, swiftly branded Streeting’s intervention “unhelpful”. The result? The comments led the Today programme bulletins all morning. A switch over to LBC brought much the same. Their argument is that Streeting deliberately dragged Europe back up the agenda in order to complicate Burnham’s path in Makerfield, a seat that voted heavily to leave the EU.

Streeting is an astute political operator and it is entirely possible the remarks doubled as a spanner in the Burnham works. But they were also clearly aimed at Labour members who overwhelmingly see Brexit as central to Britain’s economic stagnation and are not currently disposed to back the former Health Secretary. 

READ MORE: Progress looks to post-Starmer phase as battle lines drawn with Burnham

Whether the Westminster psychodrama of a not-yet-happening Labour leadership contest really deserves this level of airtime is another matter entirely. There is a much broader conversation to be had about modern political coverage and the incentives of rolling news. But that is for another day.

For now, politicians have to operate within the media environment that exists, not the one they wish existed. Streeting’s comments could easily have remained a fairly routine intervention within Labour circles – at least until a formal contest began and the battle of ideas properly opened up.

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But Burnham’s position on Europe was always going to surface in Makerfield. Reform, who performed strongly there in the local elections, were never going to ignore it. So while Burnham’s frustration at seeing the issue thrust centre-stage before he is even officially on the ballot is understandable, this was never a conversation he was going to avoid. At some point, he will need an answer more substantial than “I’d rather not discuss this now”.

Burnham’s great political strength is that he is widely regarded – both inside Labour and beyond it – as authentic. Voters believe he says what he thinks. In an era increasingly shaped by vibes, that matters. It will matter far more in a contest against Reform than allies grumbling anonymously about internal Labour manoeuvring.

The difficulty for Burnham’s camp is obvious enough. They know he needs to focus relentlessly on Makerfield and the voters there. But they also know everyone – including Makerfield voters – understands that victory would instantly transform him into a leadership contender. Those realities pull in different directions. That tension is not going away over the next month. Burnham, his team and his allies will have to learn to navigate it.

Politicians gossip because politicians are people. And in a period of genuine turbulence inside Labour, briefings and speculation are inevitable. But not every provocation requires a response. Sometimes saying nothing is the wiser choice.

LabourList will be in Makerfield throughout the campaign and we look forward to seeing Labour figures from across the party fighting to win it. The coming month offers Labour an opportunity to pull in the same direction: to make a positive argument not just for one candidate, but for what the party can offer the people of Makerfield and the country as a whole

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