Greens Select Sarah Wakefield for Makerfield By-Election

The Green Party has selected Sarah Wakefield as its candidate for the upcoming Makerfield by-election, adding another name to a contest that is drawing unusual national attention.

Wakefield is a Manchester City councillor and a charity director currently on maternity leave, according to the Green Party announcement. The party described her as 38, a mother of two young children, and a trustee of a community organisation.

The claim circulating online is accurate: Sarah Wakefield is the Green Party candidate in Makerfield, and her public biography includes both charity-sector work and Manchester City Council service.

What happened

The Green Party announced Wakefield’s selection on 26 May, using the campaign line: “Don’t vote in anger, vote in hope.” In her launch statement, Wakefield said she was “proud to be representing the Green Party in the Makerfield byelection.”

She framed the campaign around giving voters a choice and challenging Reform UK’s politics directly. “Together we can bring back the hope that politics can create a better life for ourselves and our children,” she said in the party statement.

The BBC has reported that parties have begun naming candidates for the by-election, which Wigan Council has confirmed will take place on Thursday 18 June.

Who is Sarah Wakefield?

Wakefield is a Green Party councillor on Manchester City Council. Democracy Club’s Who Can I Vote For profile lists Sarah Elizabeth Wakefield as elected in Deansgate in the 2026 Manchester local election with 1,380 votes.

Her local-election profile said her priorities included standing up for residents, campaigning for rent controls, improving community spaces, and supporting cultural spaces in Deansgate.

The Green Party’s national announcement adds more biography: she previously worked in retail with a focus on sustainable food, is a charity director on maternity leave, and serves as a trustee of a community organisation.

Why Makerfield matters

The Makerfield by-election was triggered after Labour MP Josh Simons announced he would step down. The seat is in Greater Manchester, and the contest has become a live test of how parties position themselves after a volatile local-election cycle.

Labour has selected Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, making the by-election more prominent than a routine parliamentary contest. Reform UK, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and smaller parties have also named or signalled candidates.

For the Greens, Wakefield’s selection gives the party a councillor-candidate with a Manchester base and a campaign message aimed at voters who are frustrated with mainstream politics but not aligned with Reform.

What is confirmed — and what is not

Confirmed: the Green Party has selected Sarah Wakefield for Makerfield. Confirmed: Wakefield is a Manchester City councillor, charity director on maternity leave, and previously worked in sustainable food retail, according to the party’s announcement.

Confirmed separately: Who Can I Vote For lists Sarah Elizabeth Wakefield as elected Green councillor for Deansgate in Manchester in 2026.

Not yet final: the complete official ballot. Candidate lists can keep changing until nominations close, even though several parties have already announced selections.

The clean read: Wakefield is now the Green candidate for Makerfield, and the party is positioning her campaign as a hopeful alternative to both Labour dominance and Reform-style protest politics.

What to watch next

The next signal is whether the Greens can turn local Manchester momentum into by-election visibility in Makerfield. Watch for polling, candidate hustings, and whether Wakefield’s campaign leans more into housing, public services, climate, or anti-Reform messaging.