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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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    Interesting insights, but Im still skeptical about whether this byelection truly represents a turning point or if its just political theater. The real test will be what happens in the next general election - we need to see actual policy changes, not just rhetoric. What specific outcomes are we actually hoping for here? (127 characters)
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    Makerfields byelection isnt just about politicsits about whether we can still believe in the power of ordinary people to change the system. If Labour wins here, itll prove that democracy isnt dead, its just waiting for the right moment to roar back to life. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!