Farage Blames Reform UK Makerfield Defeat on Anti-Starmer Voter Tactics

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, expressed disappointment with his party's performance in the Makerfield by-election, citing a voter desire to oust Sir Keir Starmer as the primary reason for their defeat.

Farage claimed that public frustration with the Prime Minister propelled Andy Burnham's decisive Labour victory over Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon, who trailed by over 9,000 votes. He also conceded that a proportion of Reform's support was siphoned off by Restore Britain, a new party founded by former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, which surprisingly finished third.

Farage subsequently urged Restore Britain voters to switch their allegiance to Reform, positioning it as the main challenger to the Labour Party. Reform UK had aimed to secure a high-profile victory against Burnham in Makerfield, intending to bolster its image as a credible opposition force ahead of the next general election. However, Burnham successfully increased Labour's majority in the constituency.

The outgoing Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is now anticipated to mount a challenge against Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership. Without a parliamentary seat, such a move would be impossible, making the Labour leadership contest a notable subtext to the Makerfield election, located south of Wigan.

In an online statement, Farage described Reform's second-place outcome as "disappointing," noting Burnham's unexpected vote share. He stated, "what really happened here is it was 'vote Burnham, get Starmer out'." Farage also voiced frustration with Restore Britain, which campaigned on hard-line policies, including "the most ambitious programme of mass deportations ever seen in Britain."

"I thought we'd get 18,000 votes, we got just shy of 16 [thousand]. So I'm disappointed by that, no question about it," Farage added. "There's a couple of thousand voters there who would normally have gone out and voted Reform, that voted Restore. And I would say directly to them, what do you want? We are the challenger party to the left in this country. And I would urge you to think again, I really, really would."

The Makerfield contest marked Restore Britain's inaugural Westminster election, with the party capturing approximately 7% of the vote, despite national polling around 3%. This performance presents a strategic quandary for Reform UK heading into the next general election. Reform's pre-election platform included proposals to ban non-British nationals from social housing and introduce taxes on companies employing foreign staff.

Reform deputy leader Richard Tice echoed Farage's assessment regarding anti-Starmer voting, while maintaining that his party had made a strong effort. Rupert Lowe, Restore Britain's founder, celebrated his candidate Rebecca Shepherd's "remarkable" result, asserting that his party had achieved in months what typically takes years for new political entities. "Restore Britain is now officially on the map," Lowe declared.