Farage discussed the lost Makerfield by-election on the Today Programme:
“16,000 votes would win most by-elections, but we were of course hoisted by our own petard because effectively this campaign became vote Burnham to get Starmer out. So look, it was a landslide victory. Good for him.”
He said Kenyon could not have been withdrawn despite social media comments that “didn’t help.”
“A: it was too late to withdraw him. B: he was actually a very good, hardworking candidate and a proper local guy. C: when it comes to the apology, I said, ‘Look, Rob, you must decide yourself what you do. I can’t force people to apologise’ Either way, either way, whatever had happened, whoever had stood for us, Burnham would have won that by-election.”
On Good Morning Britain Farage said he now has a “real opponent“:
“It was a huge win and it was a chance to get rid of this Prime Minister… In Andy Burnham, we’ve now got a real opponent, so politics is about to get interesting again.”
Labour: Chapter Two…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”