Makerfield finds itself at the centre of UK politics after a by-election was triggered in the constituency.
The seat was most recently held by Josh Simons of the Labour Party, however, he resigned in order to make way for Andy Burnham to challenge in his place.
Burnham is aiming to mount a challenge to Sir Kier Starmer's tenure as Labour leader but first requires a seat in the House of Commons. The current Mayor of Greater Manchester is 8/11 to be voted in as the next permanent leader of the party.
Traditionally speaking, Makerfield has been an extremely safe Labour seat, having an elected MP in the area ever since the constituency was created in 1983.
Dates
The deadline for party nominations passes on 21st May 2026.
Those who wish to register to vote will have to do so prior to, on the the day of 3rd June 2026.
Polling day itself will take place on Thursday 18th June, with stations open between 07:00 & 22:00 BST.
Key candidates
As previously mentioned, Burnham is the Labour nomination.
He has previously served as a senior figure within the Blair and Brown governments and unsuccessfully stood for the leadership of the party in 2010 & 2015.
Reform UK are also expected to yield support in the by-election and have put forward Robert Kenyon as their nomination.
Kenyon stood for Nigel Farage's party in Makerfield at the 2024 general election, where he was defeated by the outgoing Josh Simons.
Seeing plenty of support to win the seat in recent days are Restore Britain. They are founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe and have put forward local businesswoman Rebecca Shepherd as their candidate.
Previous MPs
Election | Party | Member |
1983 | Labour | Michael McGuire |
1987 | Labour | Ian McCartney |
2010 | Labour | Yvonne Fovargue |
2024 | Labour | Josh Simons |
Labour have held Makerfield since 1983 and the constituency is considered one of the safest Labour seats in the country.
Four Labour MPs have held Makerfield in the last 43 years, with the first being Michael McGuire from 1983-87.
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.
