The race to become Greater Manchester's next mayor is heating up as Andy Burnham prepares for a potential move to Number 10. Early polling, commissioned by campaign group Hope Not Hate, shows Labour narrowly ahead of Reform UK by just three points, with 33.2 per cent and 30.1 per cent of first preference support respectively. The Green Party trails in third with 12.5 per cent.
Labour and Greens Vie to Stop Reform
Labour figures locally are touting the poll as evidence they are Reform's biggest threat in the region. However, Green sources point to previous polling in Gorton and Denton, where they were also in third place with around 20 per cent, only to win the seat with over 40 per cent of the vote. Both parties are positioning themselves as the best chance to stop Reform from taking the mayoralty.
Voters in Prestwich Undecided
Speaking to voters in Prestwich, many remain undecided. Most say they do not yet know much about the election, the candidates, or their policies. They are waiting to assess manifestos before making a decision.
Jason, a 54-year-old consultant, said he plans to vote but has 'not looked at the candidates properly yet.' He added: 'I'd love to see taxes go down. I'd love to see opportunities for businesses to be able to grow and thrive.'
GP David Ham, 42, did not know when the election would be or 'who's in it.' He previously voted Labour and spoke highly of Burnham, noting he was 'really responsive' when contacted about a problem at his surgery. Ham said: 'I probably will [vote] but I need to look at the actual people and what they're saying.'
Local Issues: Pavements, Housing, Child Safety
Sales worker Reik Schmidt, 32, raised concerns about the state of local pavements, saying 'people are falling over left, right and centre.' As a mother of a young child, she also worried about developments in Prestwich town centre: 'The school is right there and, if the buildings are high, people can look into the schoolyard. The developers seem to forget about child safeguarding.'
A pensioner who did not want to be named said he would likely vote Labour but disagreed with the party on immigration, favouring open borders. On local issues, he said: 'I think they should be building less massive tower blocks and building more social housing which is affordable.'
Reactions to Burnham's Westminster Ambitions
When asked about Andy Burnham leaving the mayor's job for Westminster, Jason said: 'If he thinks he's the best man for the job, then so be it. But being King of the North doesn't mean that you're necessarily going to be king of the country.'
Ham added: 'I haven't heard his plan. What is his plan for the country? He's been very good. He has this collaborative approach to things, he listens to people, he makes plans and it's practical. You can be a real nice guy, but if you don't have a plan… It could be good, but he just needs to tell us what he's going to do.'
Schmidt said: 'It's sad for us, but [I'm] very excited.'
Candidates Declared
As of Monday, June 29, the declared candidates for the mayoral election are: Geraldine Coggins (Green Party), Bev Craig (Labour Party), George Galloway (Workers Party of Britain), Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats), Marlon Scott West (Restore Britain), and Sian Astley (Reform UK).
