Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has stated his disappointment regarding his party's performance in the recent Makerfield by-election, suggesting that voters' desire to unseat Sir Keir Starmer from Downing Street contributed to the outcome. Farage claimed that frustration with the current prime minister influenced the substantial Labour victory achieved by Andy Burnham.
Reform UK's candidate, Rob Kenyon, finished over 9,000 votes behind Burnham, who secured an "emphatic" win for Labour. Farage also acknowledged that votes were lost to the newly formed right-wing party, Restore Britain, founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe. Restore Britain secured third place in the by-election, marking a notable early success for the fledgling party.
Farage issued a call for voters who supported Restore Britain to instead back Reform UK, positioning Reform as the primary "challenger party to the left." Reform UK had aimed to defeat Burnham in the Makerfield seat, seeing a victory there as a means to enhance its credentials as the potential main opposition party to Labour in the upcoming general election.
However, Burnham expanded Labour's majority in the constituency, a rare occurrence for a candidate representing the governing party. The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester is now anticipated to contend for the Labour leadership and the position of prime minister, a move that would typically require a seat in Parliament. The Labour leadership question emerged as a significant issue in the Makerfield contest, a constituency south of Wigan that has historically been held by the Labour Party for over a century.
Analysis of the by-election results indicates Labour candidate Andy Burnham received 55% of the vote, an increase of 10 points. Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon garnered 35% of the vote, up 3 points. Restore Britain candidate Rebecca Shepherd secured 7% of the vote, an increase of 7 points. The Conservative candidate Michael Winstanley received 2% of the vote, a decrease of 9 points, while the Green Party candidate Sarah Wakefield obtained 0.7%, down 4 points, and the Liberal Democrat candidate Jake Austin received 0.4%, down 6 points.