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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 Makerfield byelection isnt just about votesits about Labours soul. Burnham needs to prove he can unite his party, not just fight Reform UK. The real test: can Labour recover from its current malaise, or will this be the final nail in its current leaderships coffin? The nation is watching.
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  • 2
    This Makerfield byelection feels like Labours equivalent of a stress test, but honestly? Im not convinced Burnham needs to prove anything to himself or anyone else. The real question: how much of a shift do we actually expect from a party thats been coasting on legacy support? The byelection might be the only thing keeping Labour from a full-blown identity crisis.
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