This time next week, people in Makerfield can vote for hope. Vote Andy. Thursday 18 June.

🚀 120 MPs have signed the amendment calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform 🌹 Two thirds of them are Labour MPs 🗳️ Labour's official policy already recognises First Past the Post creates distrust & alienation ⌛ Now it's time to act bills.parliament.uk/bills/40…

As an economist, former FT journalist and now Labour MP, l don’t think the bond markets have to fear a change of Labour leadership. The biggest problem for gilt investors and MPs alike is inflation – & it remains our common enemy. My @FT op-ed 👇 (1/5)

🚨 NEW: Andy Burnham has pledged to scrap business rates for shops, cafes and hairdressers - and reduce them by 20% for pubs It would be funded by increasing taxes on online tech giants and their British warehouses [@Telegraph]

“Do we want to be true to Britain, and still live in a country where we work to find common ground?” @AndyBurnhamGM 👏

Politics isn’t working for places like Makerfield. As Mayor, Andy has shown there is a better way. He’ll do it again.

🚨 NEW: The Government has announced 300,000 new training and work experience placements across construction, social care and hospitality to tackle youth unemployment

From now on, I will be posting a campaign update around teatime every day to let you know where I’m up to. Here’s the first one - hope you find it interesting. Enjoy the evening sun everyone!

Burn out is an awful condition & affects far too many people in increasingly stressful work lives A work life balance is a difficult thing to achieve, but is something we should encourage ourselves & colleagues to achieve. Our work is better for it Take time & be well Carla❤️

“If Britain continues to benefit from internationally trained health workers, it should invest in the health systems it recruits from.” Powerful advocacy from @BeccyCooper4Lab @APPGGlobHealth #globalNHS #expertsinourmidst #healthpartnerships politicshome.com/opinion/art…

“The strongest international relationships are built on mutual contribution, not one-way obligation.” As the #GlobalPartnershipsConference continues, @BeccyCooper4Lab writes for @LabourList on what genuine global partnership should look like. ⤵️ labourlist.org/2026/05/rebui…

NEW: More than 60 Labour MPs, led by @alexsobel, have signed an amendment to force a 'rethink' of the 'broken' FPTP voting system The amendment will push the government to set up a national commission on electoral reform Signatories include @Debbie_abrahams @helenhayes_ and Chris Curtis, chair of @LabourGrowth

We benefit from health workers trained abroad – so we should invest in their health systems too ✍️ @BeccyCooper4Lab politicshome.com/opinion/art…

The only way we are going to tackle the global challenges of today is through partnerships. We must draw on the strengths that everyone has to offer. That is how we build a better future. Read my speech at the Global Partnerships Conference here ⤵️ gov.uk/government/speeches/b…

Politics isn’t working for places like ours. I will change that. #AndyBurnham #ForUs

Immigration makes Britain brilliant.

🚨 NEW: Andy Burnham’s slogan for the Makerfield by-election will be "For Us"

I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election. I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics. Ten years ago, I decided to leave Westminster. Why? Because, after 16 years, I came to the conclusion that our national political system does not work for areas like ours. I learnt this fighting its failure to invest in the Wigan borough, for justice for the Hillsborough families and against its treatment of Greater Manchester during the pandemic. Over the last decade, I have been challenging this failure from the outside and building a new and better way of doing politics. We have built Greater Manchester into the fastest-growing city-region in the UK and put buses back under public control, introducing a £2 fare cap to help people with cost-of-living pressures. However, there is only so much that can be done from Greater Manchester. Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again. This is why I now seek people’s support to return to Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people. Millions are struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed. It has already made changes to make life better for them in its first two years. After this week, we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the Prime Minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the by-election takes place. I want to recognise the difficult decision taken by Josh Simons and the sacrifice he and his family are making. I have worked closely with him as Mayor on issues like flooding and illegal waste dumping and have seen first-hand how effective he has been. He has put the communities of Makerfield first, made a real difference for them and should take great pride in that. Finally, I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times. We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again. ENDS

RT @NazShahBfd: It was the honour of my life to move the Loyal Address -the first Muslim to do so. This moment belongs to the people of Br…

'The fight against polio is almost won. Funding cuts come at the worst possible moment' ✍️ @BeccyCooper4Lab for LBC Opinion lbc.co.uk/article/fight-agai…