Michael Wake
59.5K posts
@MikeJWake
30, in Data, Chelsea, NY Giants, occasional blogger, and you can often find me mowing the lawn, or scrolling on Twitter. Views my own, and not of my employers.
🚨 NEW: The UK economy grew by 0.6% in the first 3 months of 2026
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
Wes Streeting's leadership launch today - if/when it comes - is against the backdrop of NHS figures showing the biggest fall in hospital waiting lists for 17 years Figures published this morning for the month of March show the Labour government has met its key interim NHS target of treating at least 65 per cent of patients within 18 weeks This target was announced by Streeting and Sir Keir Starmer in happier, more united days in January last year The overall NHS waiting list has also fallen to 7.11 million, down by half a million since Labour took power in July 2024, my colleague @eleanorhayward reports Streeting said: “Our plan for the NHS is working. This is the biggest cut in waiting lists in a single month in 17 years. It means we are right on track to deliver the fastest reduction in waiting times in the history of the NHS. Lots done, lots more to do.”
2026 NFL Christmas schedule: Christmas Eve Texans @ Eagles Christmas Packers @ Bears Bills @ Broncos Rams @ Seahawks
For Makerfield, Britain Predicts says... Reform: 41% Labour: 28% Green: 12% Conservative: 8% Lib Dem: 7%
Labour MP Josh Simons says he will stand down to allow Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham the chance to run for Parliament Follow live: bbc.in/42TTd0V
Can Burnham win Makerfield? Majority of 5,399. But the local elections were bruising for Labour in the region.
This is INSANELY high risk / high reward
Farage insists he never needed to declare the gift which he received in 2024 He said last week: "Believe you me, we've looked at this from every legal angle, there is no obligation to declare something that is an unconditional, non-political, personal gift"
the general public overestimate the margins businesses make
