Overview
- Jeremy Clarkson wrote in the Sunday Times that Sarah Wakefield, the Green candidate in the Makerfield by-election, is a 'decent, hardworking' mother with real-world experience and ended his column with the explicit line: "Go, Sarah. Go."
- Clarkson criticised material circulated by Eating Better that discussed 'white supremacy culture' in farming and used the charity's language on 'decolonial' approaches as a reason to attack the report's conclusions.
- Sarah Wakefield, executive director of Eating Better and a last-minute replacement candidate after the Greens' original pick withdrew, has defended 'decolonisation' as listening to marginalised voices in food debates.
- The contest in Makerfield was called to let Labour mayor Andy Burnham run for Parliament and is seen as a close, high-profile test where a Green intervention could reduce Labour's vote share and affect the outcome.
- Coverage of Clarkson's intervention has varied in tone, with outlets highlighting his attack on Eating Better's report and his tactical motive to split the left while also noting his unexpected praise for Wakefield's personal background.