We did it. Makerfield has spoken. |
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Andy Burnham won in Makerfield. And you helped make it happen.
Take a moment to let that sink in. In a seat where Reform UK led Labour by 7% on a pure ‘which party?’ vote, where the polls showed the race was within the margin of error right up until polling day, progressive voters came together and lifted Burnham by 10% to an outright majority. The far-right has been soundly beaten. |
Tactical voting in action |
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Our Opinium poll told us it was coming. Green and Lib Dem voters said they would back Burnham rather than their own party's candidate. When progressives unite, the far-right loses. We saw it in Caerphilly. We saw it in Gorton and Denton. And now we've seen it again in Makerfield. Let's make it happen at the next one too. |
Whether you shared a link to our tactical voting advice at StopReformUK.Vote which was seen by over 18,000 unique visitors, donated to our fundraiser, amplified our posts, forwarded our emails, volunteered on the ground, or simply advised a friend in Makerfield who to vote for, you played a part in this result. A particular thank you to every Forward Democracy activist who supported Hope Not Hate's letter distribution campaign on the ground, getting Carol Vorderman's message into the hands of women across the constituency. Our polling showed that message landed. The result confirms it made a difference, with Reform falling thousands of votes short of expectation. |
This is a moment to celebrate, but the work continues. Our voting system still means that campaigns like this should not have to be this hard. Progressive voters should not have to vote tactically to keep the far-right out. Every vote should count equally, and until it does, we will keep doing what we do. There are council by-elections every week across the UK where Reform UK is trying to gain a foothold, and a general election on the horizon. We will be there for every one of them. If this result has reminded you why this work matters, please consider chipping in to help us keep going. Every pound helps us reach more voters in more seats with the advice they need to make their vote count. |
Thank you for everything you have done. This result belongs to all of us. |
With huge gratitude, - Tom, Evan, Becky, Cherry, Adam, Jack and everyone else in the Forward Democracy Team |
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Support our Fundraiser so we can be ready for every election. |
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