Ken Loach and Maxine Peake in video endorsement of Wigan Indie candidate

Ms Cunliffe is standing against Labour high-flyer Lisa Nandy in the seat that has been held by the party since 1918.

The 51-year-old social campaigner says she met Loach and Peake at the Wigan Diggers Festival which commemorates Gerrard Winstanley, the Wigan-born political philospher.

Loach, 88, has been acclaimed for Brit-flicks like Kes and Cathy Come Home and other labour rights-type movies while Bolton-born Peake is a well-known feminist and socialist.

In the piece-to-camera video, Peake reads out words given to her by Loach, describing Ms Cunliffe as ‘an outstanding candidate’.

“Jan will represent and fight for the interests of the people,” proclaims Peake. “She knows, as well as we all do, you can’t put a cigarette paper between Starmer’s Labour Party and the Tories.

“She’s outraged by their silence on the shocking increasing poverty and the rising demands on foodbanks.”

Peake said Ms Cunliffe would fight for houses that people could afford and an end to low pay and job insecurity.

“She will fight for public services, like transport, water and the Post Office to be taken back into public ownership so that they can work for us all,” she said.

“Jan will demand a health service that’s properly funded, respects its staff and keeps out the private health companies. Unlike Labour, Jan believes there is no place for profiteers in the NHS.”

Ms Cunliffe told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she lives in Warrington because she can’t afford to live in Wigan, but is staying in the town at the moment to care for her ill father.

“No one feels Labour is any benefit to them,” she said. “People are more concerned about the cost of living crisis that has been inflicted upon them for the last 14 years and they are very worried that there is going to be another one inflicted on them.

“People have got young families and they need somewhere to live. They need to be able to afford to buy food from a supermarket, not go to a foodbank.”

She said that when he had and asked them how they would vote, they said ‘they would not vote Labour’.

“They didn’t say nasty things about Lisa Nandy, but they don’t trust her,” she said. “I stand at the junction of the roads first thing in the morning and I am greeted with homing and waving and the thumbs up [from motorists].”

Other candidates for the Wigan seat in Thursday’s electrion are: Brian Crombie-Fisher (Lib-Dem); Andy Dawber (Ref); Jane Leicester (Green); Henry Mitston (Con); Lisa Nandy (Lab); Maureen O’Bern (Ind) and The Zok (Ind).