Makerfield by-election candidates announced

Makerfield by-election candidates announced34 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleReutersPeople living in the Makerfield constituency in Greater Manchester will soon have the opportunity to elect their new MPPolitical parties have begun to announce their candidates for the forthcoming by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency of Makerfield.The by-election was triggered when Labour MP Josh Simons announced he would step down to allow his party colleague Andy Burnham the chance to seek a way back into the House of Commons.With the by-election date yet to be confirmed, three other parties have now named their candidates.You can see all of these below - listed in alphabetical order by each candidate's surname. This list will be updated as more are announced in coming days.Andy Burnham, The Labour PartyThe Labour Party has officially confirmed Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as its candidate.Burnham, a former Labour government minister, has been the region's metropolitan mayor since 2017. Alan 'Howlin' Laud Hope, The Official Monster Raving Loony PartyThe Official Monster Raving Loony Party has named its leader and co-founder - Alan Hope - otherwise known as Alan "Howlin" Laud Hope.In a statement posted on social media, the party said: "We can confirm that our glorious leader Alan "Howlin" Laud Hope... will be standing against Andy Burnham in the forthcoming election in Makerfield." Robert Kenyon, Reform UKReform UK has named Robert Kenyon as its candidate.Kenyon is a self-employed plumber and stood in the constituency in the 2024 general election - coming second to Labour's Josh Simons.Rebecca Shepherd, Restore BritainThe Restore Britain party has announced Rebecca Shepherd as its candidate.Shepherd is a businesswoman and was the first candidate to be officially announced on Monday.Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Y...