Oasis campaign track and more jogging drama – Five things you may have missed amid Burnham’s Makerfield battle

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Here are the latest developments you may have missed as the Makerfield contest heats up

Here are the latest developments you may have missed on Monday (May 18).

• Oasis have granted the Greater Manchester Mayor permission to use their music in a promotional video as he begins his bid to return to Westminster. In a new campaign clip, released today (May 18), Oasis’ 1995 hit Some Might Say plays in the background over clips of the Mayor sipping a pint in the Northern Quarter and walking around Piccadilly Gardens.
• There was a new twist to jog-gate. Burnham has been snapped repeatedly in recent days exercising by running from his home, which started a series of comments and posts about his shorts in recent days. In a new development, the Mayor was forced to defend his routing after coming under fire. He has twice been pictured leaving his home to go for a run, before returning home behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf. The Daily Mail went on to run a piece on Sunday, with the headline ‘Burnham is in the running… but why did the jogging mayor drive home?’. Mr Burnham, 56, has now taken to X to explain an exercise routine that has been questioned by some. He wrote: “It’s part of my regular routine. I often leave my car at Newton station and do my morning run to pick it up. I did it again today because I had a pint at the match. I would say check it with my neighbours but don’t as they don’t deserve the intrusion on our road.”
• In a major speech on Monday to launch his campaign, Burnham said he will rule out any push for Britain to rejoin the European Union. He argued the country must “move beyond” Brexit divisions and focus on rebuilding northern communities. Also in the speech, he said the UK had been on the ‘wrong path for most of the last 40 years’ and that his ‘ambitious’ plan for Makerfield involved action to cut the cost of living, bringing rail services into the Bee Network, reindustrialising the area with modern manufacturing, making technical education the equal of university, and building more council homes.
• The Manchester Evening News was back out on the streets of the Makerfield constituency on Monday. “It’s been like a circus these past few days,” businesswoman Fran Kennedy said. Meanwhile, butcher Peter Cain said: “We’re just a sleepy town but [Burnham] will put us on the map,” Peter adds. “If he can do here what he did for Manchester, it will be amazing.”
• Amid the contest, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday rejected calls to set out a timetable to stand down if Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election, saying “I’m not going to do that”. He said: “I do want to fight the next election. Obviously, I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around and making sure that my focus is in the right place.”

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