The Reform mayor who is tipped to defect to Labour

A powerful Reform UK metro mayor is being tipped for defection to The Labour Party amid claims that Andy Burnham is actively trying to woo him. Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor Luke Campbell, a former Olympic boxing champion, is said by several sources to be unhappy in Reform amid Nigel Farage’s ongoing woes and is now said by sources to be on “defection watch”. Campbell denies any plans to defect, saying he is “a Reform mayor” but this has not stopped Labour officials thinking they might be able to win him over. The former professional boxer and Olympic gold medallist praised Burnham as recently as the Makerfield by-election, describing the then Greater Manchester mayor as a “really nice guy” who would champion the North from No 10. Now The i Paper has been told that Burnham has tasked Hull East MP Karl Turner, who is suspended from Labour but expected to have the whip restored, with winning over the mayor. Turner has refused to comment. But a Labour insider said Burnham wants Campbell, who comes from a Labour-supporting family and is the son of a miner, to switch to Labour. “Andy is keen for him to come over to Labour and I think he is keen to come over – although there is nervousness on both sides,” he said. Campbell ‘basically a Burnhamite’ An industry source meanwhile said Campbell, one of Reform’s two metro mayors, was “basically a Burnhamite”. But in their view, the mayor is more likely to quit Reform and act as a “Burnham-friendly independent” than switch to Labour despite currently “playing nice” with the PM to get backing for projects such as a rail junction in Selby. The source said: “He is not really Reform – he just stood because they offered him it. He puts place before party and basically sees himself as Burnham was for Manchester but in Hull. “I think there is a risk to Reform that Luke in particular just goes his own way – he will struggle to tell his people to vote for Nigel when he himself will want Burnham to stay as PM next time.” The source said of Campbell’s comments praising Burnham during the Makerfield by-election: “I don’t think high command at Reform took [that] at all well. Luke Campbell of Great Britain looks on after being defeated by Jorge Linares of Venezuela by decision in their WBA lightweight title bout at The Forum in 2017 (Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) “They only have two mayors so one of them on defection watch is not great.” An insider at the Hull and East Yorkshire combined authority meanwhile said local Labour leaders were “disappointed” when Campbell first declared for Reform last year as they saw him as someone they would usually have expected to join their party. They said there have been persistent rumours that Campbell is unhappy with Reform and that he might be looking to defect to Labour, particularly now Burnham has become Prime Minister. “I think I heard it most recently around the time Burnham was running in the [Makerfield] by-election,” the insider said. “But I would be surprised. Luke is not a political animal. And the local Labour party have been pretty vociferous in their criticism of him. It doesn’t feel like the groundwork is being laid.” Some local Labour figures are not aware of any live discussions and some are understood to view Campbell as a poor quality mayor who may not be welcome in the party. Campbell told The i Paper: “I have not had any conversations with any other party about defection. I am a Reform mayor. I don’t know where these rumours have come from and there is no basis for them.” Downing Street declined to comment. The Labour Party and Reform were approached for comment.