Did the ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’ jibe help turn Leigh town blue?

Leigh was where Labour’s largest majority was overturned when Conservative James Grundy unseated sitting MP Jo Platt in 2019.

Some say the electorate in the old mining town – part of the borough of Wigan – was goaded into voting Tory by comments from leading politicians who argued that voting for Boris Johnson’s party in a town like Leigh would be ‘like turkeys voting for Christmas’.

At least that’s what one or two of the people the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to in the town centre are saying as the next General Election looms large on the horizon – probably in the autumn.

A walk along Leigh’s Bradshawgate central thoroughfare gives a clue as to how the town has fared during the last few years against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic, the Ukraine war and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

In common with a many other urban centres, there are good number of shuttered and boarded-up retail units on Leigh’s main drag.

So what’s the likelihood of the town reverting to red?

Hannah, 34, said: “Some people said it was like turkeys voting for Christmas, and they were right. Me? I didn’t vote Conservative and I never will.

“Why people thought the Conservatives would do anything for Leigh is beyond me.”

Leigh market stallholder Simon Battersby, 56, also alluded to the turkey/Christmas metaphor, saying: “Such remarks are silly. I think that’s why a lot of people voted Conservative. It wound them up and made them angry.

“As for me, my family has always been Labour, but I reckon all politicians are thieves and are in it for themselves. There is no one I want to vote for.”

Victories for Labour in the Kingswood and Wellingborough by-elections last week could indicate Leigh may turn back red.

But there are those who argue it’s not a foregone conclusion, despite what the opinion polls say. The rise of Reform UK and their surprising performance in those two byelections indicate that they could have a big influence on matters come polling day.

One woman who didn’t want to give her name said: “I’m voting for Reform UK when the election comes round I’m against the rise of the wokery society.

“We started seeing these things under Labour that were very woke. Conservatives aren’t any better, and the things they promised following on from Brexit have not materialised. I am voting Reform UK.

“I am concerned for my children.”

Her friend added: “I’ve never voted Conservated and would vote Labour like I did last time. But we get treated like rubbish by Wigan’s Labour council.”

Market stallholder Alison, 55, is one person who converted from Labour to Conservative at the last election, but she reverting to red next time.

She said: “I will not vote Conservative again. James Grundy used to come round once a month. He did it about four times. But we haven’t seen him for a while.

“Rents on here are colossal, that’s why half the market isn’t rented out. I voted Conservative at the last election, but I will not do so again. I’ll be voting Labour.”

Graham James, 77, is another who has returned to Labour after voting Conservative at the last election. He said: “I was a lifelong Labour voter and union man. I voted Conservative last time, but I won’t vote Tory again. There are a lot of people like me who will never vote Conservative again.”

Graham’s friend, James Rowe, 63, said: “I’m similar to Graham, but if Nigel Farage stood, I’d vote for him.”

Gill Bannister, 53, is unashamedly Conservative. She said: “I won’t vote Labour. They do nothing for Leigh. They’ve been in power on the council for years, but they’ve done nothing for the town. I think Labour mess things up.

“Generally speaking, I don’t think people understand the difference between local council politics and the national politics.”

Sophie Cleworth, 27, said: “I vote Labour, like the rest of my family. I see no reason to change what I do.”

Michael Thomasson, 65, says he will stay ‘true blue’. “Labour has never done anything for us in this town,” he said. “They are not regenerating things in Leigh like they should.

“However, I disagree with the Tories about the European Union. I think we should have stayed have stayed in Europe.”

Max Waters, 59, disagreed, but said he didn’t trust the voting system. “I voted to come out of Europe,” he said. “Whatever we say they [the main political parties] do their own thing. People voted Conservative because we needed to get Brexit done.”

James Hilton said: “I’ve never voted Conservative in my life and I never will. Leigh councillors used to be Liberal Democrats, but they were always out voted. One of the councillors lived near me and he always made sure the roads would get gritted.”

And Lisa Smith, 55, said: “Towns like Leigh get less money than those down south. I always vote Labour because the Conservatives just want to help get their pals get richer.

“There’s no money being spent on the town centre. It’s a shame because there are a lot of lovely people in Leigh.

“But there’s a big drug problem in the town centre, and people are intimidated and don’t like coming in here to do their shopping.”