Why the Green party must run in every seat – including Makerfield – and ignore Labour demands to stand aside | Ben Smoke

Only the Greens can actually counter Reform UK – Labour is out of touch and partly responsible for the hard right’s rise

The Green party of England and Wales has announced Sarah Wakefield as its candidate for the upcoming Makerfield byelection. The constituency is split between Greater Manchester and Wigan, and the latter’s council saw a surge in support for Reform in the latest local elections, with the party taking 24 of the 25 seats up for grabs.

The showdown between Labour’s Andy Burnham, the Greens, Conservatives and Reform UK will be seen as a test case for how Labour would fare under Burnham as leader against the national threat of Reform UK in the next election. It is within this context that there has been internal discussion in the Green party about it stepping aside in the seat so that it does not split the progressive vote and, in so doing, allow Reform to win the seat. “A vote for the Greens in Makerfield is a vote for Reform” is a common slogan being shared by Labour party members.

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