Meeting held on Wed 17th June 2026
Five people were present. Five sent their apologies.
It being the day before the by-election in Makerfield, where Andy Burnham was standing for Labour (with the possibility of challenging Starmer for the role of PM), we spent much of our time considering whether Burnham would make any difference if he became PM.
Our overall feeling was that we hoped for Burnham to win the election, but had some doubts about how much difference this would make. He has made clear that he wants to change the first-past-the-post election system to something more proportional, and that this might then become LP policy for the next General Election. But as far as public services were concerned he said he would stick to Reeves’s fiscal rules. There were many acceptable ways that taxes could be raised ( like a Tourist Tax), but he has said nothing to suggest a change from Labour’s lack of imagination about other taxes. He has indicated public ownership of energy and water and we suggested that ways could be found to do this that would not be too expensive.
It was suggested that Burnham’s “Manchesterism” was simply another form of capitalism and, so far, it seems to have had the effect, in Manchester, of enriching the city centre (with much of the property owned by overseas interests) but not the outer towns and suburbs where wages remain low. Burnham has said little about Gaza, or defence expenditure that challenges the Labour’s current positions.
Burnham seemed to be much more relatable than Starmer, making him appear more attractive, but he would face the same problems, both economic (pressure from Bond Markets, etc) and political (lack of trust in the political process) that would make change difficult.
We were impressed by the extent to which both the right wing parties (Restor and Reform) were given enormous funds by billionaires. Will changes in legislation be effective in preventing such corruption? Clearly Burnham would need to find a Chancellor who is prepared to be progressive, unlike Reeves. (Ed Milliband was not mentioned in this regard.)
We briefly discussed the Peak Cluster Pipeline, which will direct CO2 from cement works to gas reservoirs under the sea. There is much local opposition to this. Other forms of climate mitigation, such as restoring Peakland peat, are more popular.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday July 15th