Mike Phillips

I have been loyal to every Labour leader since I delivered my first leaflet as a 12 year old. But, like many colleagues, I’ve been expressing concerns for some time about the direction of travel of our party in government. Last week’s local election results brought such concerns into sharp focus. Our party is the greatest organ for social change this country has ever seen but, if we carry on down this road, we face an existential threat and risk letting down the very people we are here to represent. Through the unstinting work of Labour Councils across the country, we have delivered some remarkable things. Last week hundreds of them lost their jobs because people on the doorstep told us that they didn’t feel the government was on their side. Many of them specifically blamed the Prime Minister for failing to deliver. We ignore the electorate at our peril. In July 2024, my party was elected with a mandate to deliver change. When the country voted for it, they did not expect tinkering around the edges or business as usual; they expected meaningful change that would begin to reverse more than a decade of decline. Let’s be clear: our government has delivered some transformational things. Stronger rights for working people. A genuine shift towards putting more power closer to the people. Real attempts to tackle some of the injustices and inequalities that have held communities back for too long. But too often, significant achievements have been overshadowed by chaos, drift, and a lack of clarity about who we are and what we’re here to do. People don’t expect perfection from politicians. But they do expect purpose. They expect leadership and vision. And right now, too many feel they’re not seeing either. Our party and our country are at a critical moment. We need a serious contest to decide Labour’s future - and that means widening the field, not narrowing it. Andy Burnham should be allowed to stand in the Makerfield by-election. I’ve known Andy a long time. I’ve seen how he leads, how he connects with people, and how deeply he believes politics should not be transactional but focused on improving lives. At a time when we’re losing support in all directions, he is someone who can bring people together. Someone who understands our country, who connects with communities beyond Westminster, and who knows how to turn Labour values into practical change. The Labour Party has always been at its best when it has been bold, rooted in the lives of working people, and confident enough to have the arguments that matter. This is one of those moments. If we’re serious about rebuilding trust, reconnecting with the country, and delivering the kind of change people voted for in 2024, then we have to seize it. It is the chance to elect someone who can take the country forward and deliver the genuine, progressive change that areas like mine are crying out for. It is about hope and not despair. Politics is crying out for leadership that feels grounded, authentic and rooted in people’s day to day lives rather than Westminster psychodrama. Andy has shown that kind of leadership in office. Labour shouldn’t be afraid of that contest. We should welcome it.