Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
I joined Matt Chorley on BBC Radio 5 Live to make the case for why the Greens should be talking to Andy Burnham about the Makerfield by-election, rather than simply throwing everything at the seat. My argument is straightforward: Andy Burnham is arguably the one person who can credibly challenge Starmer's Labour, run for Prime Minister, and help build a coalition capable of stopping Reform at the next general election. Those are enormous stakes, and they demand that we think beyond narrow party advantage.
The days when Labour could simply tell the Greens to stand aside are long gone — the Greens outpolled Labour in the recent local elections. But that strength is precisely why we should use this moment strategically. My view is that the Greens should demand a serious quid pro quo; above all, a commitment to proportional representation, so that we finally get an electoral system where people's votes actually count, and where stopping a Reform majority in the next parliament becomes genuinely possible.
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Edited excerpt courtesy of Matt Chorley BBC Radio 5 Live bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022lwf
I joined Matt Chorley on BBC Radio 5 Live to make the case for why the Greens should be talking to Andy Burnham about the Makerfield by-election, rather than simply throwing everything at the seat. My argument is straightforward: Andy Burnham is arguably the one person who can credibly challenge Starmer's Labour, run for Prime Minister, and help build a coalition capable of stopping Reform at the next general election. Those are enormous stakes, and they demand that we think beyond narrow party advantage.
The days when Labour could simply tell the Greens to stand aside are long gone — the Greens outpolled Labour in the recent local elections. But that strength is precisely why we should use this moment strategically. My view is that the Greens should demand a serious quid pro quo; above all, a commitment to proportional representation, so that we finally get an electoral system where people's votes actually count, and where stopping a Reform majority in the next parliament becomes genuinely possible.
RupertRead.net
RupertRead.substack.com
twitter.com/GreenRupertRead
https://bsky.app/profile/rupertread.bsky.social
instagram.com/RupertRead
tiktok.com/@GreenRupertRead
facebook.com/GreenRupertRead
Edited excerpt courtesy of Matt Chorley BBC Radio 5 Live bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022lwf
