‘Burnham bounce’ credited as Labour is victorious in Wigan by-election, with Reform UK in second
Labour emerged victorious in the Hindley Green by-election held following the death of Coun Bob Brierley.
Evidence of a “Burnham bounce” has emerged in Wigan as Labour won a hotly contested by-election.
John Vickers' victory for the Hindley Green ward was the first Wigan borough election won by Labour this year as they suffered a “wipe-out” in all 25 seats contested in May's local elections.
Coun Vickers triumphed with 1,201 votes, with Reform UK's Bonnie Clarke polling second with 887.
The Hindley Green ward is in the Makerfield parliamentary constituency won by Andy Burnham in a by-election on June 18.
This by-election was seen by many as a barometer of support for the new prime minister with polling in his own backyard.
Reform saw spectacular gains in Wigan almost exactly six months ago, winning 24 of the 25 seats contested.
However, the party failed to add to that number on a disappointing night for them.
The local election result in Hindley Green in May saw Reform UK's Liam Clarke win the seat, polling 1,878, with yesterday's winner John Vickers coming second with 1,172 votes.
Reflecting on the rapid change in his fortunes, Coun Vickers acknowledged that Mr Burnham's win in Makerfield “had a lot to do with tonight”.
He said: "People were disillusioned in May and what happened on June 18 certainly put a lot of faith back in people who had perhaps decided that the Labour Party was not going in the right direction."
He also outlined his priorities for the ward, saying: “The fact that Hindley Green has no NHS facilities is something we need to put right. We need to get the pharmacy back to start with and take it from there to get a health centre and associated facilities.
"I want to make sure the people of this ward are well represented.
"For me though, it's more about the people of Hindley Green than the party."
Reflecting on the setback for his party, Wigan Reform leader Paul Watson said: "We came second tonight but this is a by-election, not a local election.
"Momentum maybe seems to be with Labour now, after the Burnham bounce, but come May it will be a totally different perspective.
"I'm still confident that in May 2027 Reform UK will take control of Wigan Council.
"The voter turnout was 26 per cent tonight, in May it was 39 per cent. Labour had 1,200 votes in both, they turned out in the same numbers. In a borough election with a full campaign, our voters will come out. Tonight we haven't lost a seat or gained one."
The make-up of the council is that Labour now has 43 councillors and overall control, Reform still has 25 members and there are seven independents.
The by-election was called for a single seat after the death of long-standing member Bob Brierley, an independent who represented the ward for 22 years.
His reputation for community work led to many describing him as “Mr Hindley Green”.
A third of seats on the council are set to be contested in local elections in May.
Here are the full results for the Hindley Green by-election: Burley, David John – Liberal Democrat - 9; Clarke, Bonnie – Reform UK - 887; Jackson, Daniel James – Conservative - 56; Prescott, Mark – independent - 124; Shepherd, Rebecca Lee – Restore Britain - 107; Smith, Nat – Green - 42; Vickers, John Melville – Labour 1,201.