By-Electioncast: Chris Reports Back From Makerfield
6/3/202644 min
Today, Chris tells Adam what it was like meeting Robert Kenyon, the Reform UK candidate in the Makerfield by-election and how he and Andy Burnham, the Labour candidate have responded to challenges about their track records on different key issues.
They discuss the ongoing reaction to some of Robert Kenyon’s previous comments about women and whether Andy Burnham’s campaign message of “Change Labour. Keep The Faith” is cutting through with voters.
Plus how have the Conservative, Lib Dem and Green party candidates faired in the Radio Manchester hot seat?
They’re joined by Sarah Lester from the Manchester Evening News and Kevin Fitzpatrick, political reporter for BBC Radio Manchester.
A full list of candidates and loads more information about the Makerfield by-election is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrp1z8n4w2o
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The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Gabriel Purcell-Davis and Shiler Mahmoudi. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Stephen Bailey. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAdam Fleming· Host0:00
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Sarah Lester· Guest0:03
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Adam Fleming· Host0:20
[instrumental music] Hello. Here's another episode of Byelection Cast on a Wednesday, just to keep you on your toes. And also, he's not been on an episode of Byelection Cast, although he's on every episode of Newscast, so you wouldn't really have noticed. [laughs] [laughs] It's Chris. Hello, Chris.
Chris Mason· Host0:33
Hello. Hello.
Adam Fleming· Host0:34
Do you like my completely arbitrary distinctions about what episodes are called?
Chris Mason· Host0:37
[laughs] I do. I do. It continues a long-standing Newscast, Brexitcast, Electioncast tradition.
Adam Fleming· Host0:43
Yeah, we'll just change the names and the hope people notice. Um, now, you've been to Makerfield a few times now.
Chris Mason· Host0:48
Mm-hmm.
Adam Fleming· Host0:49
Uh, can you bring me any, as we would call in the trade, it's a terrible phrase, local color. I mainly, I'm asking this because I'm jealous that I'm not getting to go, and I used to love pounding the pavements for by-elections all around the country, so I miss just getting a feel for different places and meeting different people.
Chris Mason· Host1:03
Totally. A- and, and it's what I love about, uh, about- Mm ... by-elections in general and being out on the road, in particular journalistically, is the, is the great, is the greatest privilege of the job really. Um, so the, literally the local color, um, is posters on sticks of wood, uh, sticking out of people's gardens or driveways or window boxes or whatever, and you see loads for, uh, Labor. You see loads for, uh,