A self-employed plumber is Burnham’s main obstacle to national office

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Andy Burnham was yesterday formally selected as Labour’s candidate for the Makerfield byelection, but his rival matters too. The biggest threat to Burnham becoming an MP, and therefore Labour leader and prime minister, is Robert Kenyon, a self-employed plumber and army reservist from Wigan. Kenyon came second to Labour in Makerfield in the 2024 general election. He was elected as a local councillor earlier this month. He previously refused to discuss Nigel Farage’s stance on the war in Ukraine due to his military background and claimed that Reform was “very good” at keeping racism out of the party. Kenyon has an appetite for local issues too. He has compared potholes in Makerfield to “driving over the surface of Mars”.