Andy Burnham has largely avoided promoting the Labour Party in his campaign for the Makerfield by-election, instead placing his own name and personal brand at the centre of the contest.
Analysis published by The Telegraph found that the Greater Manchester Mayor mentioned Labour in only two of 98 Facebook adverts run during the four-week campaign, despite the advertisements being funded by the party.
According to the report, Labour spent approximately £36,000 on Facebook advertising during the campaign, with the vast majority of posts encouraging voters to “Vote Andy” rather than promoting Labour itself.
The findings come as voters head to the polls in a contest that has attracted national attention amid growing speculation about Mr Burnham’s future ambitions within the Labour Party.
Critics have suggested the campaign reflects concerns about Labour’s standing with voters. A Reform UK spokesman told The Telegraph: “The man who seeks to lead the Labour Party is in fact embarrassed to be associated with it. He knows the brand is broken with voters.”
The by-election has become one of the most closely watched political contests of the year, with Mr Burnham widely regarded as a potential future challenger to Prime Minister and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
The Mayor recently appeared to distance himself from suggestions that he could join the Government after Sir Keir publicly stated that Mr Burnham would have a “big role” to play if elected to Parliament.
According to The Telegraph, a source close to Mr Burnham said joining the Cabinet would risk associating him with what they described as the Government’s failings and would undermine the “wind of change” surrounding his campaign.
Addressing supporters ahead of polling day, Mr Burnham presented himself as an agent of political and economic change.
He said: “This is a chance to vote for change, for change in politics, for change in our economy, to vote for people, to make life better for people.
“A vote for me is a vote to end 40 years of trickle-down economics that didn’t trickle down much at all to people here.
“It is a vote to bring down water bills, energy bills to make life more affordable to people again, to give the British people a bit more money in their pockets, to give people a bit more breathing space in their daily lives.”
Campaign literature and posters across the constituency have largely followed the same approach, featuring cartoon-style images of Mr Burnham alongside the slogan “Vote Andy for us”, with little or no reference to Labour branding.
The strategy appears to reflect Mr Burnham’s personal popularity in the constituency. Polling by More in Common cited by The Telegraph found that Labour voters in Makerfield gave Mr Burnham a net approval rating of 99, while Sir Keir Starmer recorded a net favourability rating of minus 16 among the same group.
Senior Labour figures nevertheless joined campaign efforts in the final days before voting. Those seen canvassing included Angela Rayner, Lucy Powell and former Commons Speaker John Bercow.
Makerfield has been represented by Labour since the constituency was created in 1983 and was considered one of the party’s safer seats. However, the political landscape shifted dramatically at last month’s local elections when Reform UK won 24 of Wigan Council’s 25 seats, including every ward within the parliamentary constituency.
Most published opinion polls have continued to give Mr Burnham a lead over Reform UK candidate Robert Kenyon, although the margin has narrowed during the campaign.
Several polls have also suggested that if support for Reform UK and Restore Britain were combined, the combined Right-of-centre vote could potentially outnumber support for Mr Burnham.
In recent days, Reform figures have expressed confidence that they have succeeded in attracting support away from Restore Britain as polling day approached.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Nigel Farage said: “On the eve of Brexit, no one thought Leave would win and we did. Maybe this is another one of those. You can’t discount it.”
The result is expected to provide an important indication of Labour’s standing with traditional voters and could also have significant implications for the future direction of both Labour and Reform UK.
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