The Huffington Post
A Green Party political sign put up by the householder to show support ahead of local council elections in London, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) The Green Party has rejected calls to step aside in the Makerfield by-election to make way for Labour’s Andy Burnham. The Times reported on Sunday that senior Green figures signed a statement calling for colleagues to consider not splitting the left-wing vote in the crunch by-election. The Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham, is hoping to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership if he manages to win over the constituency. In a statement – also signed by former Green leader Jonathan Bartley – party figures told current leader Zack Polanski: “In all reality this is not a seat Greens can win. “It will be a straight fight between Labour and Reform. But it’s no ordinary by-election. Labour’s candidate, Andy Burnham, is looking to return to Westminster to lead in parliament.” The letter said the Greens should consider doing a deal with Burnham if he pledges to put proportional representation in Labour’s next general election manifesto – if he becomes the next party leader. However, the party told HuffPost UK it has no intentions of stepping aside for the Greater Manchester mayor, as it unveiled its new candidate, Deansgate Sarah Wakefield. A Green Party spokesperson said: “We have announced a superb candidate in Sarah Wakefield and will be campaigning to take the fight to Reform and challenge their dangerous politics, including plans to sell off the NHS. “We will continue to ask which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up. “U-turns on fiscal rules, settled immigration status, Proportional Representation and public ownership suggest he’s not leaning in the direction we’d like to see.” Asked if there was a chance for any kind of agreement with Labour over Makerfield, a party source said: “None.” The party’s last by-election candidate Chris Kennedy stood down after less than 12 hours over family reasons. Shortly after that news broke, The Times reported Kennedy had previously shared social media posts describing an attack on Jewish ambulances in north London as a “false flag” operation. An Instagram video described the attack as “total bullshit to keep the false flag flying” and included an image where parts of the word “Jewish” had been blacked out. A Survation poll for The Sunday Times put the Greens in fifth place in the Makerfield by-election, on just 3%. Burnham was ahead of 43% while Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon was on 40%. Restore Britain’s Rebecca Shepherd trailed behind on 7%, while the Lib Dems sit on 4% and the Tories’ Michael Winstanley on just 2%. Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Green Candidate In Makerfield By-Election Quits After Less Than 12 Hours Labour Lost Almost 4 Times As Many Voters To Greens Than To Reform In Local Elections, Poll Finds Exclusive: Former Labour Members Are Returning To The Party To Back Andy Burnham
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