SPECIAL EDITION: The most consequential by-election ever…
The Two Matts
The New World
4.2 • 577 Ratings
🗓️ 15 May 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Matts consider just how much is at stake in the Makerfield by-election, assuming Andy Burnham is allowed to stand. Who will Reform put up against him (we have one idea) and what will Zack Polanski’s move be? Take a chunk of Burnham’s vote or sit it out? And how will Keir Starmer play his cards? If you want to hear two pundits try to work out what the hell any of this will add up to… you’ve come to the right place. Enjoy!
Produced by Matt Withers
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In miniature, it is the battle that Andy Burnham will have to play out on a grand scale across the whole nation. |
| 0:12.5 | And it is Labour versus Reform. |
| 0:16.8 | Bar elections have often been very symbolic, but this one is actually consequential. |
| 0:22.6 | If he wins, he could, and probably will be the next Prime Minister and might well be the person to beat Varage. |
| 0:33.6 | What do you make of what Stama is doing? What's going through his head? |
| 0:38.2 | I think he's doing the only thing he knows how to do, |
| 0:41.8 | because he's not a politician, so he's not playing politics. |
| 0:45.6 | I think he's treating it as, he's treating it as an HR issue. |
| 0:50.6 | Hello and happy Friday, everybody. |
| 0:53.3 | Happy Friday, we said we be back and here we are. |
| 0:55.6 | Here we are. |
| 0:56.6 | We are. |
| 0:56.9 | Time stamped podcast. |
| 0:58.9 | Yes. We're recording this at noon on Friday. |
| 1:03.2 | And things did move on since we last spoke. |
| 1:06.4 | They did. |
| 1:06.6 | Significantly. |
| 1:07.0 | They did. |
| 1:08.1 | I mean, the most significant movement was, of course, Andy Burnham's |
| 1:12.6 | acceptance of a seat in McAfield in Wigan, where he can stand for election and can then |
| 1:21.5 | qualify to be in the prime ministerial race, which is what everyone's been calling for, I guess. |
| 1:29.0 | They have. And I was thinking about this this morning this morning matt and i was thinking about you're a brilliant piece about a week ago |
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