MP who defected from Tories re-elected in Bury South

Newly re-elected Labour MP for Bury South, Christian Wakeford, has told Jewish News that his victory — with an increased majority — was “confirmation” that he had taken the correct decision in 2022 when he crossed the floor and left the Conservative Party.

Wakeford, who beat his Conservative rival Rabbi Arnold Saunders by more than 9,000 votes, said his win meant “many things” to him, noting that he was “humbled and proud” to have been re-elected. He had received criticism at the time of his defection to Labour for not standing in a by-election.

He said that he was keen to “get to work”, and made particular mention of representing the Charedi community in Bury South, whose voters have become part of the constituency for the first time, due to boundary changes.

Wakeford said: “I’d very much like to continue the work I have been doing, particularly in the areas of mental health and addiction, which are very close to my heart, after losing my brother to that several years ago. But in fields like literacy or vocational education — there’s so much more we could and should be doing, and these are things I’ve been working on for the last few years”.

For now, however, Christian Wakeford’s focus is on getting some rest where he can — and “drinking lots of coffee”.