Caroline Lucas calls for Greens to not campaign against Andy Burnham in Makerfield by-election
'There are times when it’s more important to put country before party.'
The former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has called for the Greens ‘put country before party’ and suggested that her party doesn’t ‘properly contest’ the Makerfield by-election in the event that Andy Burnham is the Labour candidate.
Lucas’ intervention follows a report in the Guardian which indicates that the Greens are intending to run a campaign for the by-election.
The Guardian reported a statement from a Green Party spokesperson which said: “We are looking forward to the campaign. We’ve learned from our campaigning and wins in Gorton and Denton and the recent local elections, and we’ve shown we can beat Reform. We’re a democratic party and our local members choose their candidates. We have already started the candidate selection process for any potential byelection in Makerfield.”
Responding to that report, Lucas said that Burnham winning could lead to electoral reform and prevent a Reform government.
Lucas posted on X: I hope this isn’t true. There are times when it’s more important to put country before party. This is one of them. Burnham’s longstanding commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy and counter dire threat of a Reform UK government.
In the 2024 general election, Labour won Makerfield with 45 per cent of the vote. Reform came second on 32 per cent. The Greens picked up 4 per cent of the vote, coming fifth.
However, predicting the frontrunners in the seat is fraught with difficulties.
Since the 2024 election, Labour has fallen significantly in the polls, while both Reform and the Greens have surged. In the local elections in May 2026, Reform won in all the wards that make up the Makerfield constituency. Labour came second in all of them. The Greens came third in all but two. It is widely assumed that Burnham specifically is considerably more popular than the Labour Party generally and that his candidacy would boost the party’s chances.
The Makerfield by-election is taking place as a result of Labour MP Josh Simons standing down in an attempt to get Andy Burnham back into the House of Commons in order to allow him to stand in a Labour leadership contest.
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
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