Overview
- Hours after the Green Party announced Chris Kennedy as its Makerfield candidate on Thursday, he withdrew for personal and family reasons, prompting the party to reopen nominations.
- Kennedy had signed the Candidate Pledge for Palestine and publicly criticised the cost of holding by-elections, details that have featured in coverage since his brief selection.
- With the Greens temporarily out of the contest, the by-election is effectively a direct contest between Labour’s Andy Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon for the seat contested on June 18.
- Reform UK’s recent local gains have made Makerfield more competitive and the Greens say they can peel protest votes from Reform, a calculation the reopened nomination process will test.
- The outcome could give Burnham a Westminster platform and influence Labour’s internal dynamics while local voters remain frustrated about the expense and disruption of the by-election process.