By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 11:13 BST, 18 May 2026 | Updated: 12:10 BST, 18 May 2026
Labour could be undone by another northern plumber in the Makerfield by-election.Local pipesman Robert Kenyon is among the leading contenders to take on Andy Burnham in a by-election expected next month.The former soldier and NHS worker ran against current Labour MP Josh Simons in the 2024 general election, coming second comfortably ahead of the Tories.And earlier this month he won a seat on Wigan Council as Reform made large gains in the area in the local elections. Mr Kenyon stood in 2024 on a manifesto that boasted he had 'done many a hard day's work in my life', adding: 'I know struggle from first-hand experience growing up in a single parent household on free school dinners.'Last week he posted a picture on Instagram of himself in a pub with a pint, saying: 'You'll not see Burnham in Wetherspoons on a Friday night in Wigan.'In February, Labour were embarrassed in the Gorton and Denton by-election when Green Party plumber Hannah Spencer won a previously safe seat in Greater Manchester.Reform is expected to unveil its Makerfield candidate as soon as tomorrow, with Labour's campaign in disarray amid a fight over Brexit. Reform leader Nigel Farage has suggested his party will hammer into this and immigration ahead of the vote, branding the prospective Labour candidate 'open borders Burnham' at the weekend. Local pipesman Robert Kenyon is among the leading contenders to take on Andy Burnham in a by-election expected next month
