Andy

I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election. I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics. Ten years ago, I decided to leave Westminster. Why? Because, after 16 years, I came to the conclusion that our national political system does not work for areas like ours. I learnt this fighting its failure to invest in the Wigan borough, for justice for the Hillsborough families and against its treatment of Greater Manchester during the pandemic. Over the last decade, I have been challenging this failure from the outside and building a new and better way of doing politics. We have built Greater Manchester into the fastest-growing city-region in the UK and put buses back under public control, introducing a £2 fare cap to help people with cost-of-living pressures. However, there is only so much that can be done from Greater Manchester. Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again. This is why I now seek people’s support to return to Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people. Millions are struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed. It has already made changes to make life better for them in its first two years. After this week, we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the Prime Minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the by-election takes place. I want to recognise the difficult decision taken by Josh Simons and the sacrifice he and his family are making. I have worked closely with him as Mayor on issues like flooding and illegal waste dumping and have seen first-hand how effective he has been. He has put the communities of Makerfield first, made a real difference for them and should take great pride in that. Finally, I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times. We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again. ENDS

Nigel Farage will rightly receive huge praise in the coming days for leading Reform to a devastating victory over Labour, the Conservatives and the Greens. But enormous credit also has to go to Zia Yusuf. His vision, organisation and belief helped turn Reform from a protest movement into a serious political force. Without him, this simply does not happen. Seeing so many people unite behind Reform and stand up to Keir Starmer makes me genuinely optimistic about the future of the UK.

Leave the infighting to the Tories. Keir Starmer has taken Labour from its worst defeat since 1935 to a place where we can win the next general election. He doesn’t get nearly enough credit for it. This is a team effort. I’m proud to support candidates who want Labour to win.

The Brexit Derangement Syndrome is off the scale at the moment. Reform (formerly known as the BREXIT PARTY) just swept to victory across working class areas. Response? Oh, it’s obviously time to rejoin the EU… Do these people even believe in democracy?