Nick Austin is Conservative Councillor for the West Putney Ward on Wandsworth Council.
The Makerfield by-election is becoming a lesson in modern politics and in why so many establishment politicians still fail to understand what voters are trying to tell them. People in Makerfield are not thinking about Westminster manoeuvres, leadership speculation or who may lead a political party in five years’ time. Their concerns are much closer to home. They care about their children, rising household bills and opportunities for growth. Politics works best when it starts with those concerns rather than the ambitions of the politician standing for office.
That helps explain why Reform UK has become such a powerful political force. Its success is built on communication and messaging, not policy.
Reform has been highly effective at making voters feel somebody is listening and understands their frustrations. The message is uncomplicated: “this is not working; we can make them better.” After nearly three decades of hearing successive governments promise solutions, many voters are asking whether trying something different is really such a risk after all.
Since 1997, both Labour and the Conservatives have promised to tackle many of Britain’s most persistent problems, yet for many communities’, life feels more expensive and public confidence feels lower. Whether fair or not, millions increasingly judge politics through lived experience rather than manifestos.
That is why Kemi Badenoch’s recent observation struck a chord when she argued that if you fix the country’s problems, Nigel Farage “goes away.”
That contains a broader truth. Reform doesn’t create dissatisfaction; it benefits from it.
Which brings us back to Makerfield and why Andy Burnham is making a profound political mistake. From the outside looking in, this campaign increasingly feels less like a local by-election campaign and more like the opening chapter of a return to national politics. Much of the discussion surrounding his candidacy has centred on his future, his profile and what victory would mean for him. But voters are asking an entirely different question: what does any of this mean for us? People no longer reward politicians simply for being polished or recognisable.
The old model of politics said, “Follow me — I have the answers.” The emerging model says something entirely different: ‘Take my hand and we will get there together.‘
That difference matters more than many political insiders realise. People are becoming less interested in politicians presenting themselves as the solution and more interested in finding representatives who understand their concerns and are prepared to stand alongside them.
That helps explain why Reform candidate Robert Kenyon appears to be connecting with voters in a way Burnham is not.
Kenyon’s appeal is not based on celebrity or political profile. Supporters see somebody rooted in ordinary working life who appears focused on representing the constituency rather than advancing a national career. He speaks plainly, comes across as local and understands that politics starts with making people feel heard. Whether voters agree with every policy is almost secondary to the fact that they feel he is speaking their language.
There is a growing sense in modern politics that local knowledge, empathy and authenticity increasingly matter more than polished communication and carefully managed campaigns. Candidates who understand their communities and can connect emotionally with people’s concerns are beginning to outperform those who rely purely on national profile.
I saw that lesson play out first-hand in my own election campaign in Wandsworth.
I did not win because I am a great public speaker or because of some brilliant national political message. I certainly did not win because people thought I was the Winston Churchill of local government. I won because I prepared properly. I knew the issues. I knew the details. I spent time understanding what residents actually cared about.
When questions arose, I had already done the work.
People do not expect politicians to know everything, but they do expect them to care enough to understand their community and be able to speak with credibility. Residents responded not because of party labels but because they saw somebody prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and fight for the area they love. That approach helped deliver more votes than any other Conservative candidate in Wandsworth and the third-highest vote total in the borough, with a majority of more than 1,000. Not because politics became about me, but because it stayed focused on them.
Over the next three years, all 650 constituencies will increasingly feel like by-election contests fought on trust, preparation, local knowledge and authenticity. Successful politicians will be those who understand their communities and work alongside them.
Andy Burnham has made this campaign about Andy Burnham.
Makerfield voters are focused on their families, their future and their town. That is why he is going to lose.
Nick Austin is Conservative Councillor for the West Putney Ward on Wandsworth Council.
The Makerfield by-election is becoming a lesson in modern politics and in why so many establishment politicians still fail to understand what voters are trying to tell them. People in Makerfield are not thinking about Westminster manoeuvres, leadership speculation or who may lead a political party in five years’ time. Their concerns are much closer to home. They care about their children, rising household bills and opportunities for growth. Politics works best when it starts with those concerns rather than the ambitions of the politician standing for office.
That helps explain why Reform UK has become such a powerful political force. Its success is built on communication and messaging, not policy.
Reform has been highly effective at making voters feel somebody is listening and understands their frustrations. The message is uncomplicated: “this is not working; we can make them better.” After nearly three decades of hearing successive governments promise solutions, many voters are asking whether trying something different is really such a risk after all.
Since 1997, both Labour and the Conservatives have promised to tackle many of Britain’s most persistent problems, yet for many communities’, life feels more expensive and public confidence feels lower. Whether fair or not, millions increasingly judge politics through lived experience rather than manifestos.
That is why Kemi Badenoch’s recent observation struck a chord when she argued that if you fix the country’s problems, Nigel Farage “goes away.”
That contains a broader truth. Reform doesn’t create dissatisfaction; it benefits from it.
Which brings us back to Makerfield and why Andy Burnham is making a profound political mistake. From the outside looking in, this campaign increasingly feels less like a local by-election campaign and more like the opening chapter of a return to national politics. Much of the discussion surrounding his candidacy has centred on his future, his profile and what victory would mean for him. But voters are asking an entirely different question: what does any of this mean for us? People no longer reward politicians simply for being polished or recognisable.
The old model of politics said, “Follow me — I have the answers.” The emerging model says something entirely different: ‘Take my hand and we will get there together.‘
That difference matters more than many political insiders realise. People are becoming less interested in politicians presenting themselves as the solution and more interested in finding representatives who understand their concerns and are prepared to stand alongside them.
That helps explain why Reform candidate Robert Kenyon appears to be connecting with voters in a way Burnham is not.
Kenyon’s appeal is not based on celebrity or political profile. Supporters see somebody rooted in ordinary working life who appears focused on representing the constituency rather than advancing a national career. He speaks plainly, comes across as local and understands that politics starts with making people feel heard. Whether voters agree with every policy is almost secondary to the fact that they feel he is speaking their language.
There is a growing sense in modern politics that local knowledge, empathy and authenticity increasingly matter more than polished communication and carefully managed campaigns. Candidates who understand their communities and can connect emotionally with people’s concerns are beginning to outperform those who rely purely on national profile.
I saw that lesson play out first-hand in my own election campaign in Wandsworth.
I did not win because I am a great public speaker or because of some brilliant national political message. I certainly did not win because people thought I was the Winston Churchill of local government. I won because I prepared properly. I knew the issues. I knew the details. I spent time understanding what residents actually cared about.
When questions arose, I had already done the work.
People do not expect politicians to know everything, but they do expect them to care enough to understand their community and be able to speak with credibility. Residents responded not because of party labels but because they saw somebody prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and fight for the area they love. That approach helped deliver more votes than any other Conservative candidate in Wandsworth and the third-highest vote total in the borough, with a majority of more than 1,000. Not because politics became about me, but because it stayed focused on them.
Over the next three years, all 650 constituencies will increasingly feel like by-election contests fought on trust, preparation, local knowledge and authenticity. Successful politicians will be those who understand their communities and work alongside them.
Andy Burnham has made this campaign about Andy Burnham.
Makerfield voters are focused on their families, their future and their town. That is why he is going to lose.