Andy Burnham shortly after his Makerfield by-election win (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham’s Makerfield voters are firmly opposed to handing new powers to the EU, new polling shows. With less than two weeks before the Prime Minister attends a major Brussels summit, his plans to bring the UK back under EU rule have been roundly rejected by his own constituents. Eight in ten say the UK should make its own decisions on state aid to grow regional economies, and 78% say the UK government alone should make its own decisions about VAT rates.
The survey found 75% believe the UK should set its own employment laws and 74% believe only the British government should make decisions about food standards. These are all policy areas where Labour is expected to hand some control back to the EU, either as part of the forthcoming reset, which is expected to include UK firms obeying EU food regulations, or as part of Mr Burnham’s long-term plan to develop a new relationship with the EU, such as re-joining the single market.
The poll deliberately did not mention the EU, in order to break voters out of so-called Brexit “tribes” Instead, it asked voters where they believed decisions should be made. In every case, a clear majority of the voters polled in Makerfield said policy should be decided by UK governments alone.
Mr Burnham returned to Parliament in June after winning a by-election in the North West constituency. He said at the time that every policy of his government would need to pass a “Makerfield test” to ensure it was considered acceptable to the people of Makerfield and similar parts of the country.
The polling was conducted by Britain Unbound, which is calling for the UK to make the most of Brexit freedoms rather then rejoining the Single Market or the EU.
Jonathan Hinder, Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, said: “Voters in Labour’s heartlands are clear that they do not support signing up to rules we have no say over and enforced by courts we do not control. They want UK governments to be free to decide these policies for ourselves.”
Conservative peer Lord Redwood, co-chair of Britain Unbound, said: “Makerfield voters reject giving away our hard won right to self-government to the EU and ignoring the results of the 2016 Referendum.
“They were promised the Makerfield test for any policy change. Yet a few months on, the Burnham Government is proposing the opposite of what they voted for.”
“Giving away our powers of self-government, and offering to pay the EU a load of money as well, fails Mr Burnham’s Makerfield test. A decisive poll shows more than two-thirds of Makerfield voters oppose giving away any lawmaking and taxraising over us to the EU. The proposed reset is a surrender to the EU that voters do not want.”
Other issues which voters believed should be decided in the UK included “buy British” rules, energy policy, animal welfare and medicine approval for the NHS.
Andy Burnham Humiliated as Makerfield Voters Deliver Verdict on Plot to Betray Brexit
Andy Burnham has suffered a fresh political setback after a new opinion poll revealed strong opposition among voters in his own constituency to transferring additional powers from Britain to the European Union. The findings have intensified questions about the Prime Minister’s plans to rebuild relations with Brussels and raised doubts about whether his proposed European reset can pass the very test he promised to respect.
The controversy is particularly damaging because Burnham previously pledged that his government’s policies would have to pass what he called the “Makerfield Test”. His promise was that decisions affecting the country should reflect the interests and expectations of ordinary people in the constituency that elected him to Parliament.
However, new research conducted by Survation for Britain Unbound suggests that many Makerfield residents want important decisions to remain firmly in British hands.
The poll examined voters’ attitudes towards who should make decisions on a range of important policy areas, including taxation, employment legislation, food standards, immigration and regional economic development.
Its findings could create a major headache for Burnham as he prepares to pursue closer economic and political cooperation with the European Union.
The results also provide opposition politicians with fresh ammunition to accuse Labour of moving towards a reversal of Brexit without properly considering the concerns of voters who supported leaving the bloc in 2016.
Makerfield Voters Deliver a Clear Message
The most striking finding from the Survation survey was the strength of support for British decision-making.
According to the research, 80 per cent of respondents believed the UK government alone should decide how state aid is used to support regional economic development.
This is particularly significant because Burnham has repeatedly emphasised the importance of investing in northern communities and giving local economies greater opportunities to grow.
The poll also found that 78 per cent wanted decisions about VAT rates to remain exclusively with the British government.
Meanwhile, 75 per cent believed Britain should independently decide which foreign criminals should be refused entry into the country.
On food standards, 74 per cent supported decisions being made by the UK government rather than being determined by international institutions.
Other findings included 75 per cent support for British control over employment laws and 69 per cent support for domestic decision-making on animal welfare standards.
The survey found that clear majorities preferred British institutions to retain responsibility across all ten policy areas examined.
For Burnham, the results raise an uncomfortable question: can he pursue closer integration with Brussels while maintaining his promise that policies must reflect the wishes of Makerfield voters?
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The Makerfield Test Comes Back to Haunt Burnham
Burnham’s political difficulties are closely connected to his promise to introduce the Makerfield Test.
When he returned to Parliament after winning the Makerfield by-election in June 2026, he presented himself as a politician who understood the concerns of ordinary communities outside Westminster.
His campaign focused heavily on local issues, including the cost of living, healthcare, transport, business support and problems affecting neighbourhoods.
The promise was designed to demonstrate that his government would remain connected to the people who elected him.
However, his increasingly open attitude towards Britain’s future relationship with the EU has created a potential contradiction.
Critics argue that transferring powers to Brussels could conflict with the principle that important decisions should remain accountable to British voters.
The latest survey gives those critics an opportunity to argue that Burnham’s own constituents do not support the direction in which he appears to be taking the country.
Nevertheless, the findings should be interpreted carefully. The survey measured preferences over individual policy decisions rather than asking voters directly whether they supported rejoining the EU.
That distinction is important because opposition to transferring particular powers does not automatically mean opposition to every form of closer European cooperation.