It’s a sleepy Sunday afternoon in Hindley and almost everything is closed except for the pubs and restaurants along Market Street. A lot has happened in this corner of Wigan in the past few days.
On Thursday (May 14), Andy Burnham confirmed he wanted to stand as a candidate for the Ashton-in-Makerfield by-election. The announcement released a flurry of journalists and canvassers, but so far, national media attention has been focused in the heartland of the ward – Ashton-in-Makerfield.
While the by-election circus has pitched its tent to the town just less than five miles from them, locals in Hindley told the Manchester Evening News they are trying their best to hold onto some sort of normality.
In a few weeks, however, they will have a decision to make when the polls open. And thanks to the way things have unravelled, that vote could be for the future Prime Minster.
Click here for the latest on Greater Manchester’s politics in our newsletter
And while there are still a lot of steps to go before Burnham can be ushered into number 10, for 23-year-old Kyle Williams, it’s a heavy burden to carry.
Kyle Williams from Hindley
“That’s a big responsibility that I feel l uneasy about,” he said. “It impacts a lot of my future as well as friends and family. It’s a bigger responsibility, especially if you don’t have the opportunity to understand why and who you’re voting for.
“Myself, I don’t really understand the big picture. They’ve given out the short story of what can happen in the short term, if it does happen. But will it be a wasted vote? What if we’re promised the world and we’re given nothing?
“It’s a big responsibility, one vote could turn into so many things.”
Following May 7’s catastrophic local elections, Labour leader Keir Starmer’s position has become increasingly fragile. The list of MPS calling for his resignation continues to grow and contenders for his seat are beginning to surface.
Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting stepped down, and pulled no punches when he said the current Prime Minister “will not lead the Labour party into the next general election.”
As Streeting soft-launched his Labour leadership campaign, should a race for the top job be triggered, Burnham’s bid for Makerfield is up and running. Describing it as a constituency he feels ‘connected to’, he revealed his vision for the country, with reindustrialisation, council housing and collaboration at the top of his agenda.
Andy Burnham goes for his morning run(Image: Getty Images)
Beforehand, Makerfield is a hurdle he must overcome, and he will undoubtedly face stiff competition.
Following their roaring success in the local elections which saw them take 24 out of the 25 council seats in the Wigan Borough, Reform UK have already confirmed they will be putting up a candidate in the upcoming by-election which was triggered when Josh Simons stood down as MP to make way for Burnham.
As have the Green Party and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain.
Steven Groves, 39, is a business owner. He said that while Burnham has a lot of ‘credit’ with the people of Hindley, his ambitions may be his undoing.
“I do think he’ll struggle,” he conceded. “I think a lot of people have made their mind up now with Reform. I think because he’s ultimately running to be Prime Minister, not to be an MP, we’re going to get a lot of people who may not vote for him for that very reason.
“He’s not really doing it to be an MP for Makerfield, we all know what he’s going to do, he wants to usurp Starmer.
“So you may get a lot of people who usually vote for Labour vote for the Greens. I do think he will struggle, but he’s quite popular.”
A woman, who preferred to remain anonymous voiced her support for Burnham and said: “He’s going to do well around here. I don’t mind him.”
While another man, represented the other side of the coin, and said: “Well, he’s representing Labour so he’s going to be a clown isn’t he? Have you seen the mockery they’re making of the country?
“Everybody around here has already decided to go with Reform. I don’t know why he [Burnham] wants to get back into politics? They all sit in that room with those green seats and argue among themselves.
“What they need to do is come out here. Speak to people and ask them what do they need. I’m self employed and because my leg is knackered I can’t work.
“I’ve got to pay my bills and my taxes, but I can’t get any help because I’m self employed. Those are the things they need to be focused on.”
Paul Barton, 50, says he is already seeing Reform UK’s presence in Hindley, but he’s yet to be persuaded.
“They came to my door the other day and they were telling me how much of a bad job Labour was doing,” he explained. “I don’t know. I’m not fond of what Labour has done, but as for Reform, I don’t know, I’m not sure.
“I like Andy Burnham I think he’s good. He lives near Leigh, near my brother, I’ve seen him shopping at Morrisons. I told the Reform guys I liked Andy, but they told me he’s still part of the Labour system.”
Paul Barton from Hindley
Mike from Hindley, gave the voice of an apathetic resident who has become disillusioned with the system. He told the M.E.N.,”I don’t bother with it, I try to take no interest, they’re all the same.
“I travel quite a lot and I see it all the time. People keep complaining about things and nothing is ever done. It’s always about immigrants and immigration, that’s all its ever about.
“It’s like Brexit, people got promised this and that and still have nothing. I don’t take any part in voting because all it does is encourage politicians to lie for votes.”