A progressive anti-Nigel Farage alliance on the centre-left of British politics is looking increasingly unlikely despite Andy Burnham expected to take over as prime minister in two weeks.
Burnham said as recently as May that he wants to “work with all political parties” and refused to rule out an electoral pact with the Green Party of England and Wales, while his allies at the centre-left Compass think-tank formed a cross-party group to discuss working together to stop a Reform government.
However, senior insiders from the Greens and Liberal Democrats have told The i Paper that they now view a deal with Burnham as unlikely despite recent by-elections suggesting Reform can be defeated if centre-left voters unite behind one party.
Shorts
The latest BMG Research poll for The i Paper highlighted the fractured nature of British politics, with a Burnham-led Labour (27 per cent) one point ahead of Reform (26 per cent), with the Greens and Lib Dems (both 11 per cent) holding significant chunks of centre-left support, suggesting a deal could lock Farage out of No 10 at the next election.
