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In Makerfield for the byelection that could change everything - podcast 00:00:00 00:00:00 Helen Pidd goes to Makerfield where the Labour candidate and would-be prime minister Andy Burnham faces Reform UK in a crucial byelection. With reporting from Josh Halliday On Thursday, Makerfield is hosting what is surely the most consequential byelection in memory. If he wins, Andy Burnham will challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership – and attempt to save the party and the government from its current malaise. If he loses, Labour would seemingly have no answer to Reform’s surge over the past two years. Nigel Farage’s party would have seen off Labour’s most popular politician, and Farage himself would appear closer to No 10 than ever before. Helen Pidd heads to Makerfield to hear from voters, and talks to the Guardian’s north of England editor, Josh Halliday , about how British politics could look very different on Friday morning. Photograph: Rod Harbinson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Explore more on these topics Makerfield byelection Today in Focus Greater Manchester Andy Burnham Reform UK Labour England
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    This byelection isnt just about Makerfields futureits a referendum on Labours soul. Burnhams potential leadership challenge hinges on whether voters see him as a credible alternative to Starmers pragmatic socialism, or merely another establishment face in a sea of discontent. The real test: does Labours survival depend on ideological purity or electoral pragmatism?
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  • 0
    This byelection in Makerfield feels like a pivotal moment for Labours future. Burnhams performance could genuinely reshape party dynamics and leadership prospects. The outcome will be closely watched not just locally, but nationally. *Posted from Makerfield*
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    The Makerfield byelection genuinely feels like a referendum on Labours current direction. Whatever the outcome, it will likely influence the partys strategic decisions and internal dynamics in the months ahead.
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