The Conservative candidate in a by-election dominated by Labour and Reform, Michael Winstanley says Makerfield voters are being treated as pawns in a national political game. The former mayor and lifelong local insists the contest should be about the constituency's future - not who becomes the next Prime Minister.
'I don't want to be Prime Minister. I want to be MP for Makerfield': The Thatcherite facing Labour and Reform The Conservative candidate in a by-election dominated by Labour and Reform, Michael Winstanley says Makerfield voters are being treated as pawns in a national political game.
The former mayor and lifelong local insists the contest should be about the constituency's future - not who becomes the next Prime Minister. As a schoolboy, Michael Winstanley was the only lad to put up his hand in class when the teacher asked who would vote Conservative. Even as a child, the young Thatcherite knew his own mind.
A well-known local figure who was awarded the OBE for his services to political and public service last year, Mr Winstanley is one of the most seasoned politicians among the Makerfield candidates.councillor for Orrell for 16 years from 2000, including a year as the town’s mayor. And he previously contested the Makerfield constituency in 1997 and stood against Tony Lloyd for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner.
But despite all his local links, he currently finds himself at the centre of a byelection that could ultimately decide the next Prime Minister. It’s a situation that has irritated him a bit.
“When you talk to people on the doorstep, they're concerned about the local things,” he says. “But of course the national media are only interested in the national side of it. “For me that's the sad bit about this because actually we're electing a local member of parliament to represent them in the constituency and that's one of the reasons why I'm doing it, because I care about the area.
”“The problem with this byelection is that those local issues are getting mixed up with this national mainstream of the Labour Party leadership and who becomes Prime Minister"He adds: “I am the most local candidate in this election. I was born here, I was raised here, went to school here, my family had a shop here. I was a councillor here in Orrell. If you cut me in half, it's Makerfield through and through.
” When we meet at the Robin Hood pub in Orrell, on a very wet Monday afternoon, Mr Winstanley is all smiles. Suited and booted, he is a fluent, cheerful, professional man. But with Survation polling him at just 2 per cent, it does beg the question - why have the Tories bothered to stand a candidate in Makerfield at all? His answer is simple.
“I think people have got a right to vote Conservative and I think I'm the right candidate to actually represent them in Parliament. You've got to be in it to win it and that's my job”During last month's local elections, Reform UK won 24 out of 25 seats up for grabs. Mr Winstanley was among those who lost out on a seat. But Mr Winstanley rejects the notion that this byelection is simply a two-horse race between Reform and Labour.
“In 2019 those positions were reversed and we were just behind the then Brexit party and actually if you added the Brexit votes onto the Conservative vote we would have won. So I think that just demonstrates how things can change quickly," he says with an optimistic smile.
“But from my perspective, in terms of what I'm wanting to achieve out of this campaign, it’s really to make sure that we're actually addressing the local issues and that comes back to those things about what people care about in the local community. ” He insists that healthcare, infrastructure, saving the green belt and investment are some of the main concerns of locals and solving those problems is key to his campaign.
If he were elected, he would work to regenerate the high streets, tackle antisocial behaviour and crime and traffic congestion.
“The problem with this byelection is that those local issues are getting mixed up with this national mainstream of theDuring what is already proving to be a very hard fought campaign, Mr Winstanley says local people are fed up with being used as a political pawn. “The first thing that's coming up on the doorstep is actually how unnecessary this by-election is,” he says.
“There's a lot of resentment when I'm speaking to people about why we're having this by election. It's less than two years since Josh Simons was elected to Parliament.
“This seems to be artificially created to help resolve an internal dispute within the Labour Party. People actually aren't happy about it whatsoever. ” But isn’t it a bit rich for a Conservative to complain about party in-fighting and leadership contests?
“All political parties go through various types of leadership contests,” he says. “However, at this moment in time, this is a problem that's been created by the Labour Party less than two years in. "Andy Burnham has been trying to find a seat in parliament for months and months and we had the whole pantomime aboutwhere he was trying to find a seat. He used to say that being Mayor of Greater Manchester was the best job he ever had.
"And yet, we're faced now with this by-election to try and get him into Parliament to become the Labour Party leader. So that's why I want to bring this back to having the right person. To be the local member of Parliament that can raise the issues that actually matter.
Conservative Party As chairman of Wigan Conservative Federation and a former Greater Manchester area chair, North West chair and then president of the national convention, it’s fair to say Mr Winstanley is a true blue. He even chaired the party conference one year.
“If all I'd been interested in was furthering my political career, the easiest thing that I could have done was just go ‘I'll join the Labour Party’. I'm sure that I would have been a Labour councillor and who knows then.
“But for me, politics is about principle and it's about ensuring you stand up for what you believe in. And that's one of the great things about a democracy. And one of the great things, I believe, about the Conservative Party as well, because I do believe we're a meritocratic party as well. ”offer Wiganers in 2026?
Mr Winstanley argues that Thatcher’s Right to Buy scheme gave Makerfield people a “stake in their own community” and offered ‘opportunity’. More recently he points to the rebuild of Byrchall High School as a Conservatives project and says local town centre regeneration is down to Levelling Up money.
“We had a Labour government from 1997 to 2010. What did we get out of that? ” he says.
“This constituency has only ever had Labour MPs since it was created in 1993. It's only ever held a Labour Council since 1974. We've only had one Mayor of Greater Manchester. We've had only one Police and Crime Commissioner.
All Labour.
“The Labour Party have constantly failed these communities. That's why they've been left behind. It's nothing to do with the Conservatives. Andy Burnham and the Labour Party need to own that.
” He is extremely keen to speak about local issues, proposing a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling antisocial behaviour across Makerfield and particularly in, where it has gripped the town centre. And though he says there is ‘no silver bullet’ to ASB and insists that a multidisciplinary approach and ‘proper deterrents’ are key.
“The problem is there's no deterrent so they're literally laughing at the system," he says. “We need to make sure there are strong deterrents for them and there's punishment so that if they are creating misery for people, we crack down on it. ”In a constituency that has seen much development, Mr Winstanley says developing infrastructure is key as the population grows. And he promises he would push for the completion of the Westwood Link Road if he becomes MP.
And what of immigration - Reform UK’s defining issue and a matter that both Labour and the Tories have struggled to grapple with over the last decade. In previous years, The Britannia Hotel and Kilhey Court hotel in Standish were used as emergency accommodations for asylum seekers - but they are no longer in use.to house asylum seekers.
And since last August, each new house of multiple occupation in Wigan requires planning permission - giving the authority added powers to scrutinise and manage applications. However immigration is one of the most talked about issues on the doorsteps of this campaign. How would Mr Winstanley tackle it?
“We do need to make sure we're stopping that flow of illegal immigrants coming into the country and that is one thing that does come up on the doorstep as well as the local issues,” he says. He insists that the previous Tory government’s Rwanda Plan - which would have seen illegal immigrants sent to the African nation for processing and resettlement - would have demonstrated “a deterrent for illegal migrants coming across”.
He says current leader Kemi Badenoch’s Borders Plan would ensure illegal migrants are deported. Incidentally, he claims the Conservative leader is a popular choice among women in Wigan.
“People are saying how impressed they are with Kemi in terms of how she's approaching things,” he says. “That's been quite refreshing to hear on the doorstep as well, so that message is actually cutting through as well in terms as how well she's doing and particularly amongst female voters - which has been really good. ” Away from politics, Mr Winstanley is a CAMRA member and a horse racing fan and regular visitor to Haydock Park.
He’s also a dedicated Wigan Warriors fan and was at Wembley Stadium last Saturday to cheer them on during their 22nd Challenge Cup win.
“I thought it would be very unusual if I hadn’t been at Wembley after going to every final that they've ever been to, so I thought taking the day off campaigning and actually supporting the team was important to me. ”Choose Manchester Evening News as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.
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