
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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