The Run of The Mill

Political scientist Rob Ford on Burnham in Makerfield and how Labour collapsed

The Run of The Mill

Show Notes

In the latest episode of the Manchester Briefing from The Mill, Joshi and Jack discuss what might be in store for Greater Manchester's politics without Andy Burnham in the mayor's office, now that he has found an MP willing to step aside for him in Makerfield's Josh Simons. On top of that, we have a live conversation between Jack and Rob Ford - professor of political science at the University of Manchester - about how the Labour party imploded since its landslide election victory in 2024, and why what we're seeing in today's politics is actually a result of some of the strategic mistakes the party made in the build up to that vote. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from The Run of The Mill

Oct 21, 2026

Hello and welcome back to Run of The Mill! This week, Jack is joined by new staff writer Alec Herron to discuss his latest piece about the history of the iconic CIS Tower, Manchester's first skyscraper. For the story Alec spoke to the former staff members of Co-operative Insurance, which inhabited the building for decades. They described a kind of vertical village, with a free canteen in the basement, a disco room, bowling alleys, saunas, a plush executive lounge, high-end restaurant and observation deck. Kind of utopian, also kind of Severance. Enjoy!

Oct 1, 2026

Welcome back to Run of the Mill! In this week's episode, Jack is joined by our newest staffer Ethan Penny, who has spend the week at Labour Conference in Liverpool watching Andy Burnham's enchanting hold over the national Labour Party in action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 23, 2026

Welcome back to Run of The Mill! This week Jack and Ophira cover the holy trinity of the Manchester streetscape: cig butts, hire bikes and corn sellers. Plus: we call on you, the listeners, to send in your top alternate routes for when you're trying to avoid whatever bits Manchester City Centre you like least.

Sep 17, 2026

Jack and Ophira have been walking around Manchester asking people how much they earn. In today's episode, they talk money, the conclusion of the Mill impostor saga, seeing Gary Neville in the flesh, and applying for a job as Burnham's new No.10 North media adviser. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 10, 2026

Welcome back to the Run of The Mill! All sorts has been going on: a Mill-imposter has been trying to make Reddit think we're investigating people we aren't; we noticed Peppa Pig put the Factory Records logo on a medal and demand to know why, we look at how Greater Manchester's most scandalous council got control of the UK's biggest public pension fund and ask if Manchester's padel boom is on the verge of going bust. Ophira and Jack are on the mics, and if you want to read their and the rest of the team's work, go to: manchestermill.co.uk.

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