From 5m ago'Hope is in the air,' says Burnham at campaign launchAndy Burnham has welcomed supporters at his campaign launch, telling them “this means the world to me”.“Hope is in the air, can you feel it?” he said.“This is not business as usual. This is not more of the same … British politics is tired. It needs a new script. And over the next four weeks, the people of Makerfield are going to write that script.”Key events5m ago'Hope is in the air,' says Burnham at campaign launch9m agoAndy Burnham launches byelection campaign40m agoUK borrows more than forecast in April as inflation adds to benefits bill1h agoAndy Burnham to launch Makerfield byelection campaign as Green candidate quitsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureBurnham has spoken about his connections to the local area, saying his home is just 2 miles from where he is speaking.“I love it so much that I brought my own family up here, I live here, I have lived here for 25 years,’ he said. “My home is two miles over there. I could walk to this campaign centre.”He talked about how the area has struggled with poverty, rising costs and unemployment.
double quotation markWe’ve had 40 years of policies that have hurt the high streets of this constituency, 40 years of policies that have left people struggling to afford the everyday basics of their lives. Policies that took away the good jobs that were once in these communities and have not done anything to replace them or put them back.
