I’m so proud to be standing to lead this place I love - for us - Bev Craig OBE
Back in January, we at Wigan CLP thought 2026 would be a regular campaign year. How wrong could we be?
Fresh out of a disappointing local election in May, there’s no denying that morale was low. Losing 24 seats to Reform was not our finest moment as a Labour Group in Wigan and we felt unfairly hit by the anti-Labour rhetoric fuelled by national politics. Issues were also highlighted locally and we knew something big had to happen for us to gain momentum once again.
Time for real change
A change of Council Leader in the form of Cllr Nazia Rehman saw two firsts for Wigan Council: the first female leader and the first leader from an ethnic minority. We are incredibly proud of Nazia following her work both as a local councillor in Abram and in the top finance role at Wigan Council. The Labour Group showed it has confidence in her both to transform local leadership and head our battle against the right-wing.
Another huge impetus for change came when Josh Simons gave up his Makerfield seat in order for Andy Burnham to stand as an MP – with an eye on the top job in Westminster. The election campaign which followed was nothing short of historic: people came from all parts of the country and beyond to campaign alongside Andy or to interview him. The by-election was even covered by the Washington Post!
It was clear this was a defining moment in British politics. And the King of the North lived up to the hype. A massive turnout and a huge vote share showed Reform that Makerfield meant business.
Mayoral race begins
As Andy Burnham MP arrived in Westminster, it was announced that Cllr Bev Craig OBE (the leader of Manchester City Council and vice-chair of the Local Government Association) would stand as Labour’s mayoral candidate. And so it began. Again.
Labour members are rallying around Bev, with posters going up, doorknocks being arranged and social media comments backing her as the next GM mayor.
Join us to keep this momentum going
If you would like to join Wigan CLP in campaigning, get in touch on vicky.labour@outlook.com or sign up as a Labour member and keep your eye on your emails. Following us and interacting on social media also helps, and you can follow Bev Craig on the button below.
Every vote counts as Andy continues to beat a path to No 10. And the power to boost Labour votes lies within OUR hands.