Voters in Makerfield are preparing to “hold their noses” and engage in tactical voting to topple Sir Keir Starmer or stop the rise of Reform in this month’s by-election, local focus groups reveal.
Residents in the constituency are acutely aware they are at the centre of a “huge political storm” and “feel the weight of the moment”, sessions by pollsters More in Common show.
While focus groups were split between Reform’s candidate, Robert Kenyon and Labour’s Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, they share “anger towards the Labour Government” and wish to “send a strong message”, said More in Common director Luke Tryl.
Shorts
The 18 June by-election is set to be the most consequential in decades, as some 76,000 decide the fate of Burnham, the Labour Party, and potentially the country.
