Labour accused of changing election rules to stop Reform UK winning

Labour has been accused of changing election rules to stop Reform UK winning a potential mayoral race in Greater Manchester.

Lord Hayward, a Conservative peer and former MP, said the Government was rushing to change the way mayors are elected.

Peers on Tuesday approved the Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026, which would revert mayoral elections to the supplementary vote system, where voters get a first and second preference candidate choice.

It reverses an order made in 2022, which had mayors elected using the first-past-the-post system.

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Lord Hayward has criticised the Government's timing on passing the law just before the Makerfield by-election, where Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is standing.

If elected, he would be forced to give up his mayoralty, triggering another by-election.

Lord Hayward said: "Let's be honest, this order is an attempt to stop Reform winning the possible Greater Manchester mayoralty by-election.

"It would be better titled, this order, the Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Stop Reform Winning the Greater Manchester Mayoralty) Order 2026 – 'cause that’s what it simply comes down to.

"There is no other justification for the haste with which this order has been introduced, other than solving the Labour Party's problems and actually stopping the Reform party from winning a mayoralty.

He added the legislation did not "do British democracy well", arguing the Government's position was "blatant".

Local Government Minister Baroness Taylor said Labour believes the supplementary vote was "the most appropriate voting system" for executive offices where it is "essential that an individual has a broad mandate".

Rebuffing Lord Hayward, she said: "Is the reason for delivering this change at pace for political advantage? Well, the answer to that is clearly, 'no'."

She added that when Labour passed the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act - which eliminated the role of police and crime commissioner - the Government had already intended to implement the law at the "earliest appropriate opportunity".

"Of course, the Government’s conscious there is now a possible scenario in which a mayoral by-election may need to be held, in Greater Manchester, in the coming months, subject to the outcome of a parliamentary by-election in the Makerfield constituency on Thursday this week," she added.

MAKERFIELD BY-ELECTION - READ MORE:

• Reform to launch 11 by-election bids on same day Nigel Farage challenges Andy Burnham in Makerfield
• Makerfield voters tell GB News of their biggest issues ahead of landmark by-election
• Nigel Farage issues Makerfield plea after poll tips Restore Britain to let Andy Burnham into No10

The legislation will apply to any election for a combined authority mayor in England.

Baroness Taylor said the order had been "kept concise" ahead of a possible contest in Greater Manchester, and said "separate instruments" would come to apply to other type of mayoral elections.

Police and crime commissioners will have their powers granted to mayors or to local authorities ahead of the next election cycle.

The Government has said the move would save the taxpayer £100million, with two in five people unaware of the existence of police and crime commissioners.

Two newly-formed combined authorities are set to be contested in 2027 - Cheshire and Warrington, and Cumbria.

The cost of a mayoral election in Greater Manchester if Andy Burnham were to win could be nearly £5million.

But he will have to win Makerfield in order to trigger that.

On Thursday, voters will head to the polls to decide the Wigan seat's future - with pollsters tipping Mr Burnham for a tight win over Reform.

However, Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain could hand the by-election to Labour.

The number of voters turning to the upstart party could be larger than the gap between the Mayor and Reform's Robert Kenyon.

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