Labour's Andy Burnham takes questions from presenter Mike Sweeney and audience members on BBC Radio Manchester
The interview is part of a series talking to candidates in the Makerfield by-election
Thanks for joining us - the interview with Andy Burnham has now ended. You can rewatch it by clicking on the Watch & Listen tab above.
He was speaking to BBC Radio Manchester as part of series of interviews with the candidates of all the major parties standing in the Makerfield by-election.
You can see a full list of the announced candidates here.
About political reform, Burnham said:
"Politics in this country needs to change.
"I think we need to bring what we've done in Greater Manchester to the national level. And what I mean is a different type of politics, which is what I've pioneered here, a politics that's more place first, rather than party first.
"And I do think there needs to be reform to the electoral system to enable less point-scoring, more problem-solving.
"That's what I think we need."
Asked about flooding in Platt Bridge, Burnham said:
"We've got river gauges in finally, so at least there's warnings for the residents - that wasn't even in place.
"But now we have got funding coming forward to pay for the improvements.
"I know there's a lot of local concern about the south of Hindley development, where there's more development.
"I'm going to say it really clear, [we shouldn't] develop this until these issues are properly sorted out, that the improvements, infrastructure improvements have gone in to protect people's homes in this area.
"We shouldn't have wide-scale further further development. And that is a really clear thing that I want to get over to people. The flooding has been completely unacceptable."
Asked about Brexit and rejoining the EU, Burnham said:
"The country has to fix itself, and we have to get to the heart of some of these fundamentals that don't work for people.
"And that has got to be our relentless, priority in the next five or 10 years.
"That's where we've got to focus. That's what we've got to get right before we then worry about our relationship with with other places."
Asked about why he wanted to go back to Westminster, Burnham said:
"I think we've been on the wrong path as a country for pretty much 40 years, which started in the 1980s with the deindustrialisation of large parts of Greater Manchester.
"But then we got into the deregulation of buses, privatisation of the basics of life, the austerity of the 2010s.
"I think it's taken us to a point where people in this country cannot have a good life. They cannot afford the basics, they can't afford a few pints the weekend, they can't afford a holiday. They can't afford to buy presents for the kids.
"This is this is a dangerous place. And I think we've got to kind of learn from what we've done here in Greater Manchester.
"Be proud of that. And what we've done here should now help change the country as a whole."
Andy Burnham was asked about why he wanted to be an MP, rather than being Greater Manchester's mayor. He said:
"If I want life here to be what it should be for the people of the communities in the Makerfield constituency, but more broadly across all of Greater Manchester, I know we need to change politics at the national level so we can change the economy at the national level and just make it work for people, make it life more affordable for people. We changed the buses to put them under public control.
"But I think we need to change energy, we need to change housing, and we need to change so many facets of life to make life more affordable for people again."
The constituency lies to the west of Manchester and is home to about 76,000 voters in the suburbs of Wigan and nearby former mining towns and villages.
The date for the parliamentary by-election in Makerfield has been formally confirmed for Thursday 18 June.
The writ for the by-election - which was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labour MP Josh Simons - has been moved by the Commons speaker.
A by-election must take place between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ.
A notice posted by Wigan Council said applications to register to vote must be submitted by midnight on Tuesday 2 June.
Labour's Makerfield by-election candidate Andy Burnham will be live with Mike Sweeney from 10:15. Analysis will come from political reporter Kevin Fitzpatrick.
He will be answering questions sent in by audience members. If you have a question you want him to answer, send in a voice note on WhatsApp to 08000 321 333 or text on 81333, starting your message with the word MANC.
Between now and polling day on Thursday 18 June, BBC Radio Manchester will be speaking to the candidates from the five main political parties standing in the by-election.
