Dear John,

Yesterday, Labour’s leadership stepped in to block Andy Burnham from running in the Gorton & Denton by-election, decisively ruling out his likely return to Parliament.

Why? They say its because they’re worried about the cost of a Greater Manchester mayoral by-election campaign, and fear that billionaire-backed Reform UK would massively outspend them.

So instead of taking on Nigel Farage’s party and others like the Green Party (who have been eating into Labour’s support lately) in the open, they’re simply trying to dodge that Mayoral contest altogether. And that’s if we take them at their word.

But given Burnham’s clear ambition to lead the Labour party and the country (and his vastly higher favourability with the base) this was also most likely a direct response to a perceived political threat. Starmer opted to neutralise his rival rather than bring him into the fold and try to work together.

The decision reveals the concerning direction our politics is heading in –

a top-down machine politics where avoiding risk and controlling the message trump the fundamental democratic work of persuasion and debate. It shows us why people are losing trust in the system.

And it’s not happening in isolation – the Government has also postponed twenty-nine local elections across England, denying millions of people the right to vote for their councils in a move they claim will save money.

It doesn’t inspire confidence. Penny pinching over the democratic process is very hard to square with what Keir Starmer promised us repeatedly on the campaign trail – that he’d ‘fix the foundations’ and restore trust in politics.

Back in 2020, he said: “The selections for Labour candidates needs to be more democratic and we should end NEC impositions of candidates. Local Party members should select their candidates for every election.” So what changed for Gorton & Denton?

Whatever the thinking behind the Government’s recent actions, they show a worrying trend – a lack of respect for the will of the public whose faith in the democratic process is already rapidly evaporating. What we need instead is a firm commitment to rebuilding Government’s broken contract with the public.

The good news is there’s a real opportunity ahead.

The Elections Bill expected in the spring could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to really bolster our democracy, but only if it comes with clear commitments that put power in voters’ hands. That has to include Proportional Representation (PR).

PR would open up politics and give voters real choice. It would allow alternative voices to be heard and make it harder for decisions to be stitched up behind closed doors.

It’s a crucial first step towards the democratic reform we need if we’re serious about pushing back the far-right, rebuilding trust in politics, and making real progress on the big issues of our time.

For a Prime Minister that’s struggling to tread water, it’s disappointing to see this kind of machine-politics instinct win out. And it’s exactly why we need to redouble our efforts now, so the Elections Bill delivers real change.

Thank you for all your support!

All the best,

Conor McKenzie

Digital Engagement Manager, Open Britain

P.S. Today’s news that former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has defected to Reform UK is yet another signal of how Farage is building his party. Not by unveiling new, fresh faces or experts with something to offer the country, but by hoovering up high-profile, disgraced Conservatives politicians with a track record to be ashamed of.

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