‘Labour have lost their way’: voters in Makerfield say it’s time for a change

Andy Burnham and the Reform candidate lead the polls, but issues such as flooding and the state of the high street are main concerns locally

The roads that connect the collection of towns and villages that make up this constituency in England are studded with turquoise banners declaring: Makerfield needs Reform."

Once at the heart of Wigan's coal-mining industry, and represented by a Labour MP continuously since the 1900s, Farage's party has gained a foothold here, and with any other Labour candidate installed, this parliamentary seat would almost certainly fall to Reform.