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Andy Burnham Faces Tight Race as Flood Voters Desert Labour

5/31/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Residents in Makerfield are abandoning Labour because repeated floods and a shuttered high street have left homes empty and property values depressed.
The Makerfield parliamentary by-election pits Labour’s Andy Burnham against Reform’s Robert Kenyon and other candidates.
Survation poll shows Reform at 7 % and Burnham with a narrow lead, while flood-hit voters cite rising prices, transport gaps and support for Restore Britain and the Green Party.

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Story summary

Residents in Makerfield are abandoning Labour because repeated floods and a shuttered high street have left homes empty and property values depressed.
The Makerfield parliamentary by-election pits Labour’s Andy Burnham against Reform’s Robert Kenyon and other candidates.
Survation poll shows Reform at 7 % and Burnham with a narrow lead, while flood-hit voters cite rising prices, transport gaps and support for Restore Britain and the Green Party.