Political campaigns usually take months to fall apart. The Green Party managed it in exactly eight hours.
On Wednesday night, local party members in Makerfield enthusiastically selected Chris Kennedy, a dedicated local nurse and children's safeguarding specialist, to fight the upcoming by-election on June 18. By Thursday afternoon, he was out. The official line from party headquarters blamed "personal and family reasons."
Don't buy it. The sudden exit of their candidate exposes a deeper, chaotic civil war ripping through the Green Party. They're terrified of splitting the progressive vote, completely desperate to avoid helping Nigel Farage's Reform UK, and deeply divided on how to handle Labour heavyweights like Andy Burnham.
The Fear of Splitting the Vote
The timing of Kennedy's exit looks terrible because it is terrible. It happened less than a day after his high-profile announcement. But behind the scenes, senior Green Party strategists were already trying to sabotage their own campaign.
The Financial Times revealed that top party figures wanted to hold back resources from Makerfield. They didn't want to run a real campaign. Why? Because they're scared of being branded political spoilers. Reform UK came second here in the 2024 general election, and Farage's populists just swept all nine contested seats on the Wigan council.
A senior Green source admitted the party didn't want to get blamed if Reform won the Westminster seat. They didn't want Labour throwing the "a vote for Green is a vote for Reform" line in their faces for the next three years. So, the plan was to field a candidate on paper but completely starve them of cash and volunteers. Imagine being picked to run a race, only to find out your coach won't let you wear running shoes. It's no wonder Kennedy walked away.
A Massive Tactical Civil War
This spineless strategy has sparked massive anger within the Green ranks. The party is fresh off an incredible by-election victory in Gorton and Denton back in February, where they overturned a massive 13,000 Labour majority. Activists are hungry for blood. They want to take the fight directly to Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor who is using Makerfield as a stepping stone to return to Parliament and challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.
The internal party chat is messy. Former leader Caroline Lucas openly begged her party on X to back off, arguing that country must come before party. She wants the Greens to clear the path because Burnham supports proportional representation.
"There are times when it's more important to put country before party. This is one of them."
— Caroline Lucas on X
But veteran activists aren't having it. Baroness Jenny Jones blasted the idea, reminding everyone that the Greens are a serious political party, not some weak pressure group that folds whenever Labour gets nervous. Newly elected councillors like Hannah Spencer have pointed out that Burnham ran a brutal, nasty anti-Green campaign in Gorton and Denton. They see zero reason to play nice with him now.
What Happens in Makerfield Now
The Green Party insists it will reopen nominations and still place a name on the ballot because voters deserve a real choice. But the damage is done. Their credibility in this seat is shot, and any replacement candidate is going to look like an afterthought.
The real winners here are Andy Burnham and Reform's candidate, Robert Kenyon. Kenyon, a local plumber, is running a hard-right campaign despite facing heavy fire for controversial online comments. Burnham is gambling his entire political future on this vote, knowing he has to step down as mayor if he wins.
By showing total weakness and internal panic, the Greens have effectively removed themselves as a serious threat in this race. If you want to build political power, you have to stand your ground and fight. Blinking before the battle even starts is a terrible look.
The party needs to make up its mind. Are they a radical political force capable of replacing Labour, or are they just an auxiliary wing of the progressive establishment? Right now, they look like the latter.
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