Why Hugh Grant is campaigning in the Makerfield by-election

If people needed reminding of how out of the ordinary the Makerfield by-election is by usual political standards, then the appearance of Hollywood actor Hugh Grant on the penultimate day of campaigning will have left them in no doubt. The Love Actually and Notting Hill star dropped in to Andy Burnham’s campaign headquarters on Wednesday to give the Greater Manchester Mayor some of his stardust and lend him his support. It came after another household name, the actor and comedian Steve Coogan, popped up to give Burnham his backing ahead of polling day on Thursday. Celebrity A-listers turning up at by-elections are unusual to say the least, but while the appearance of Coogan barely raised any eyebrow, being a well-known Labour supporter and a Mancunian to boot, the appearance of Grant at Burnham’s side has set tongues wagging. Indeed, there are those within the Labour Party who believe that Grant and Burnham have a shared interest in the Leveson Inquiry, the public inquiry launched to examine the practices of the press in the wake of the phone hacking scandal at the now defunct News of the World. While the first part of the inquiry was completed in 2011-12 looking into the ethics of the media, the second part of the review, which was due to look into the relationship between the press and the police, was cancelled. Burnham has long been an advocate of ploughing on with Leveson II, and called for it to be continued while serving as shadow home secretary in 2016. There are likely to be those in certain sections of the media, including investigative reporters and quality media, as well as “red-top” tabloids, who may be concerned that a possible prime minister Burnham could resurrect the inquiry, with the support of Grant and his Hacked Off campaign group. Labour sources have commented on how both Burnham and Grant are likely to have a meeting of minds on Leveson, with one highlighting that the Greater Manchester Mayor and the Paddington 2 star also “agree on BBC bias”, meaning their interests on the media may be even more aligned. Whether Burnham would be willing to burn through some of his political capital on taking on the media should he oust Sir Keir Starmer remains to be seen, but his potential arrival into No 10 could send a chill through Fleet Street.