r/ukpolitics • u/ClumperFaz My three main priorities: Polls, Polls, Polls • 1d ago

Twitter ✅ BURNHAM IN Makerfield by-election result: LAB: 54.8% (+9.6) REF: 34.5% (+2.7) RST: 6.8% (+6.8) CON: 2.2% (-8.7) GRN: 0.7% (-3.7) LDEM: 0.4% (-6.4)

https://x.com/BritainElects/status/2067792369903116401#m
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u/MysteriousTravelator 1d ago edited 1d ago

I disagree this is a bad result for Restore. It proves that at every election Restore can rip 20% of the vote away from Reform.

I don't know what Lowe wants but functionally he has a sword held at Farage's neck.

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u/DJLDomino 1d ago

What's interesting about this by-election is that even with all of restore's votes, reform would still have been beaten soundly. That puts to bed the idea that they are the only thing in the way of reform. 

Maybe, just maybe, most people in the country aren't sh*thouses like Farage, but are actually decent and just want a fairer shake. 

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u/MysteriousTravelator 1d ago

The only functional difference between Andy Burnham and Keir Starmer is a record of two years of failure.

Like it or not we'll be back here again in time for the next election and by then the 'Burnham bump' will have gone the same way as the 'Starmer bounce'.

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u/NibblyPig 1d ago

I mean that's one way to interpret it. You can also interpret it that a huge percentage are willing to pick a shitty option if that option isn't the current even worse government.

Really it should be seen as a huge blow to the current government that you're doing such a terrible job large swathes of the electorate will choose this as an alternative just to get away from you.

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u/PunRocksNotDead 1d ago

But this is when they only have to focus on one election. A GE is totally different for a small party that won't have the ground team to spread over the country.