US: Voting begins in Makerfield by-election as Reform Party leader Nigel Farage casts ballot (2).

SHOTLIST: MAKERFIELD, UK (JUNE 18, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF POLLING STATION / VOTERS ARRIVINGMAKERFIELD, UK - JUNE 18, 2026: Voting began Thursday, June 18, in the by-election in the Greater Manchester town of Makerfield, with party leaders making final appeals as residents headed to the polls. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, arrived by car at St Aidan’s Parish Centre in Ashton-in-Makerfield to cast his vote. The Makerfield by-election has fast become the most critical battleground in modern British politics, exposing deep divisions on the electoral right. Triggered by the sudden resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, the contest sees Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham attempting to return to Westminster. Yet, while the headline battle is framed as a clash between Burnham and Reform UK’s Robert Kenyon, the real focus of political strategists is a 53-year-old local businesswoman named Rebecca Shepherd. Shepherd is standing for Restore Britain, a hardline right-wing party founded in February by the suspended Reform UK MP for Great Yarmouth, Rupert Lowe. Lowe, who split with Nigel Farage last year, has positioned his new outfit explicitly to the right of Reform. Supported by a large online following -- amplified significantly by Elon Musk, the owner of the US social media company X --Restore Britain has quickly evolved from a fringe group into a potent spoiler. A recent Survation poll of the constituency puts Burnham narrowly ahead on 43%, with Kenyon on 40% and Shepherd capturing a crucial 7%.