If Burnham loses Makerfield, Labour is finished – Maurice Glasman | Part two

If Burnham loses Makerfield, Labour is finished – Maurice Glasman | Part two

From Quite right! by The Spectator

May 21, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Maurice Glasman discusses the implications of the Makerfield by-election for the Labour Party and its leadership.

Maurice Glasman returns for the second part of his conversation with Michael and Maddie – this time to ask whether the Makerfield by-election could write Labour’s obituary notice. As Andy Burnham prepares to take on Reform in one of Labour’s old heartlands, Maurice explains why this contest will reveal whether working-class affection for the party still survives. He discusses Nigel Farage’s rise, why Reform has been able to make such deep inroads into Labour territory and whether Burnham can really persuade voters that he speaks for them. They also discuss the future of the Labour leadership, why Maurice thinks Shabana Mahmood is ‘head and shoulders’ above the other contenders and whether the party can escape what he calls its ‘progressive palsy’. Plus: the Greens, the failures of universities and Maurice’s advice to Kemi Badenoch on how the Conservatives can recover. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Michael, Maddie

Guest: Maurice Glasman

Topics covered

  • Labour Party
  • by-election
  • working-class politics
  • political leadership
  • Conservative Party
  • education failures

Keywords

  • Makerfield
  • Labour
  • by-election
  • Andy Burnham
  • Nigel Farage
  • Shabana Mahmood
  • Kemi Badenoch
  • politics
  • working-class

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Labour, Reform, Greens

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