Traffic hums along the busy Bolton Road, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, where neat front gardens and clipped hedges have become unlikely political battlegrounds.
The houses are dotted with Labour red and Reform turquoise placards. On one short stretch of this road, politics is no longer confined to television studios or social media feeds – it’s literally on the doorsteps.
Within a few hundred yards, five different households display five different political stickers.
Click here for our dedicated Makerfield by-election newsletter with exclusive interviews and analysis
Arguably, they serve as a microcosm of what we have seen and heard across the constituency over the past few weeks: former Labour voters switching to Reform, while some remain loyal to the party.
Neighbours disagree sharply about immigration, trust and overall decline of the country as well as the constituency. Because the stakes couldn’t be higher.
On June 18 the people in Makerfield will go to the polls in a by-election triggered by the resignation of its MP Josh Simons, clearing the way for Andy Burnham to return to Westminster.
Burnham, one of Labour’s most recognisable and popular political figures, is gambling that the personal brand he has built over nearly a decade as mayor of Greater Manchester can overcome wider frustrations with the party nationally.
For Reform UK, the contest presents an opportunity to deliver an embarrassment to Labour in one of its traditional heartlands. This constituency voted Leave in 2016 and, in a seat shaped by post-industrial decline and deep frustration with politics, Nigel Farage’s party believes it has fertile ground.
And nowhere is that contest more visible than on this stretch of Bolton Road. We often hear how the country is divided, but what about a divided street?
Can a neighbourhood stay neighbourly when the political stakes are so high?
While national parties trade blows on television or online, these neighbours still share a fence line.
The MEN managed to knock on four of the five semi-detached houses to find out the answer to that question.
One house stands out immediately. Behind an immaculately kept garden – with trimmed hedges and colourful flower beds that give the place an almost stately feel – a large turquoise Reform banner flutters atop a flag pole.
The Reform “flag flier” is 79-year-old Albert Bretherton. A retired haulier, he says one reason for putting up the banner was practical: to stop campaigners knocking at the door.
But it’s also an act of political defiance.
“All our friends are just fed up with Labour” he says. But a lot of people don’t want to admit they’re voting Reform, because “they’re frightened of getting the racist card chucked at them,” says Albert.
Like many people I spoke to across Makerfield, Albert is a disillusioned former Labour voter, frustrated about immigration, policing, crime and what he sees as Labour abandoning working people.
“Look at the government we’ve got now,” he says. “I predicted what would happen when Labour got in. I knew they would take off them who saved, and got a pension, and give it to them what don’t want to work. They’re Labour’s main policies.”
In some ways, the Reform banner could be construed as a red rag – or turquoise in this instance – to a bull.
But Albert insists there have been no issues with the neighbours “Oh no, no, everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” he says.
He remains critical of Andy Burnham’s record, particularly questioning the efficiency of the public transport policies and urban regeneration projects.
But immigration comes up repeatedly. “I don’t mind immigration but it should be done in a fair way. People should apply and not come on a boat and come to the front of the queue.”
He claims some of the neighbours are only voting for Andy Burnham because “they’re retired and have a house in Spain. [Burnham] wants to go back into the EU.”
Albert doesn’t agree with Josh Simons stepping down as MP and clearing the path for Burnham.
“That’s why they brought Andy in by the back door by the way. I think that’s a bit naughty isn’t it,” he says.
He admits that he liked Josh – “He was alright” – but insists he shouldn’t have stood down.
As for Burnham, he adds: “Since he’s been in Manchester he’s never been back here. He’s a career guy isn’t he?”
A few doors down, one house is bearing multiple Labour placards, featuring the slogan ‘Vote Andy For Us’ alongside an avatar of the Greater Manchester mayor.
The hardcore Burnham fan in this house is a 19-year-old man, who declines to be named.
“I think he’s a great guy, he’s local,” he tells me. He’s voting for Labour because “they’re better than Reform”.
He brings up Rob Kenyon’s old social media posts, adding: “He’s clearly sexist isn’t he?”
The teen says he had an altercation on the street with Reform while they were out canvassing.
This was shortly after Nigel Farage’s visit to Chapo’s at The Caledonian across the road. The Reform UK leader was visiting the pub as part of the party’s ‘Save Our Pubs’ campaign.
“I saw the candidate, Rob Kenyon. I just pulled over in my car, rolled down the window and called him an aristocrat,” the young man continues. “They started taking pictures and said they’d get me done for a Public Order offence.”
Why did he do that?
“Nigel Farage is a Tory at the end of the day and he’s an aristocrat,” he replies.
Reform told the MEN it has no recollection of this happening.
Apart from that, the man insists that conversations with his neighbours are more cordial.
“I do have some conversations with the neighbours. They’re not bothered, we get along,” he says.
Asked about Reform voters, he adds: “I think people are focused on immigration but what’s the problem? I don’t see a problem. I think it’s great for the economy.”
Voting for Labour seems to be in his blood. His parents are voting for Burnham and his granddad “used to go around with a megaphone screaming ‘vote Labour’ back in the 80s,” he says.
For him, Labour identifies problems and implements change, even if Keir Starmer’s performance hasn’t been perfect. Next door the contrast couldn’t be more stark
Engineer Andrew, who declines to give his surname, is Albert’s son-in-law.
He makes no secret of his voting for Reform, with two turquoise placards on his property.
“It’s mainly because we don’t like Keir Starmer,” he tells the MEN. “I want to get rid of him, he’s useless. It’s everything.”
Nigel Farage, on the other hand, is a “good communicator. All the things he stands for is more or less what we stand for,” says Andrew. “We’re working people and we get taxed far too much.”
Reform’s candidate, Robert Kenyon, has faced criticism over previous online comments about various issues, including his position on Brexit, abortion and sexist remarks about women. But Andrew dismisses this as Labour “spin”.
He dislikes Andy Burnham, describing him as “Keir Starmer part two”.
Immigration is one of the main concerns, and says the country is letting in too many people. But he rejects the label of “far right”, describing himself and his partner as “concerned people,” adding: “I’m not racist. My partner’s not racist. We’ve got friends from different religions and that. It’s not a problem.”
For Andrew, the window signs also serve a practical purpose. Since he put the signs up, he’s had no door knocks from any of the parties.
When asked if the different political views cause any tensions on the doorsteps, he gestures towards the neighbours and jokes: “I might not take her parcels in anymore.”
Next door to him, Mike Brumskill has put up a Labour placard because he feared people would assume the Reform sign, on the neighbour’s hedge, was on his house and might present him as a target.
He’s put up Andy Burnham stickers in the window. “I just think he’s a very genuine man, I think he’s got a moral compass,” he tells me. “He’s set himself apart from normal politicians.”
Citing Burnham’s record, including campaigning for the families of Hillsborough and as Health Secretary, he believes “nobody but Andy Burnham would have a chance of beating Reform around here.”
Farage’s vote share has been dented slightly by newcomer Restore, whose candidate, Rebecca Shepherd, is polling at seven percent in her party’s first parliamentary contest.
For that reason, Mike is “so glad” that Restore is “going to take away a chunk of the Reform vote and weaken them.”
A retired police officer and used to putting down riots and disorders, Mike expresses deep alarm over Nigel Farage’s rhetoric.
“I’ll be totally honest with you. I see Nigel Farage as someone like [Oswald] Mosley in the 1930s,” he says. “I really, really am scared of the community tensions.”
Like the 19-year-old Labour voter, Mike brings up Rob Kenyon’s “misogynistic” social media posts.
“I like to think of myself as a decent man and I find him abhorrent,” he continues. “I’ve got three daughters, a wife and granddaughters and I wouldn’t want that man anywhere near politics and power.
“That level of misogyny offends me as a man. My wife was horrified when she saw that and I don’t blame her.
“He’s got the potential to go to Parliament and he’s supposed to represent women. And if you’ve got that contempt… you know I just don’t understand that as a man.”
Yet, despite these sharp divides, Mike remains committed to his community.
“I love my neighbours, they’re really lovely decent people,” he says. “I even love the fella who’s flying the Reform flag. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion.”
Nonetheless, he struggles to understand “how anyone can even contemplate voting for Reform.”
Whichever way Makerfield votes on June 18, the striking thing is that despite all the different political views, people still manage to live side by side. They’ve managed to do something that national politicians increasingly struggle with – disagreeing fiercely without falling apart.
After the by-election the placards will come down. Some will wake up to the results feeling disappointed, others vindicated.
But the people of Bolton Road – and Makerfield overall – will have to find a way to live with the results.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login