Greens to run scaled-back campaign in Makerfield byelection in potential boost for Burnham

Greens will devote limited resources to the next Makerfield byelection, focusing instead on the Greater Manchester mayoralty that could be triggered if Andy Burnham returns to parliament. The party is contesting Makerfield with Sarah Wakefield as its candidate after Chris Kennedy stood down over revelations about social media posts. Greens plan to challenge Reform by questioning which version of Burnham will appear, emphasizing Labour positions on electoral reform and public ownership of utilities. Internal debate has led to no repeat of the mass activist mobilisation seen in February’s Gorton and Denton byelection, where Greens overcame a large Labour majority. Some senior figures, including Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley, have urged Zack Polanski to scale back campaigning, arguing the seat is unlikely to be won and that a left split could benefit Reform UK if Burnham commits to proportional representation.

"The Greens have decided to devote only limited resources to next month's Makerfield byelection, the Guardian has learned, in a potentially significant boost to Andy Burnham's chances of winning the seat. The party is instead expected to focus more on the byelection for the Greater Manchester mayoralty, which will be triggered if Burnham is returned to parliament, senior Green figures have said."

"This would involve taking the fight to Reform and asking which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up, with a focus on the Labour candidate's positions on areas including electoral reform and the public ownership of utilities, one senior Green said. But following a lively debate within the party, there will not be a repeat of the mass mobilisation of activists seen in February's Gorton and Denton byelection, where the party overcame a 13,000-plus Labour majority to win the seat."

"A number of senior party figures, including Caroline Lucas, the Greens' first MP, and Jonathan Bartley, who co-led them with Lucas, have called for Zack Polanski, the leader of the party in England and Wales, to scale back any campaign, particularly if Burnham will commit to electoral reform. In a letter with other Green figures over the weekend, Bartley said that given it was a seat the party was unlikely to win, and a split vote on the left could help Reform UK take the constituency, should Burnham commit to proportional representation then on this unique occasion, we don't think Greens should run a full campaign against him."

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