Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for the Conservatives and Reform UK to “work together” to defeat Andy Burnham in the upcoming Makerfield by-election.
The former Tory cabinet minister said the contest marks a “golden opportunity for the right to unite” in order to give the Labour Party a “nasty surprise” in the crucial by-election.
“In Makerfield, of course, the favourites to win are Labour,” he said. “So, what does this mean? Well, I think my party, the Conservative Party, and Reform should work together in the national interest.”
The by-election in the North West constituency marks Mr Burnham’s final hurdle before he is able to officially launch his leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.
Calling Mr Burnham a “menace” who would be “worse than Starmer” as prime minister, Sir Jacob said Labour winning the by-election would “propel him into office”.
“It is a seat where if the right divides, it makes it easier for him to win. So, I would like to see a foretaste of what we could do at a general election, a coming together of the two parties to work together overwhelmingly in the national interest.”
Sir Jacob added: “The voters may recognise the advantages of tactical voting. But wouldn’t it be more sensible for the two leaders, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, to see there is an opportunity to work together, to show that politicians can come together and can do things that are overwhelmingly to the benefit of the country at large.”
Sir Jacob also told The Telegraph: “I actually suggested we stand aside in Gorton and Denton [by-election] so I think a mutual pact would be an excellent idea.”
However, Ms Badenoch has ruled out a Tory-Reform pact and told GB News: “We will be standing a candidate at this election. Everybody should compete and the people of the constituency should make their choice about who it is they want to represent them.”
Labour MP and former Starmer ally Josh Simons announced last week he would be resigning as the MP for Makerfield in order to allow the Mayor of Greater Manchester a chance to return to parliament.
But it will not be an easy contest for Mr Burnham in the constituency, which has seen the Labour vote collapse in the months since the general election.
Mr Simons won the seat by a majority of just 5,399 over Reform UK at the 2024 general election. Since then, Labour’s polling has collapsed, while Reform’s has surged.
This month’s local elections saw Mr Farage’s party win every council ward in the Makerfield constituency, securing around half the vote. Labour was left trailing behind, having secured little more than a quarter of the ballots.
Mr Burnham is however recorded as the UK’s most popular politician by pollsters YouGov, with 35 per cent of people having a positive opinion of him.
But he will be hoping his personal popularity will propel him to victory in the by-election, proving he could push back Reform at the next general election.
