Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election, pushing Labour into third place

The Green Party has won the Gorton and Denton by-election, with Hannah Spencer taking the seat from Labour in the Greens' first ever Westminster by-election victory.

Labour, which took the Greater Manchester seat with more than 50% of the vote in 2024, was pushed into third place behind Reform UK - a result which will increase the pressure on Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.

In an emotional victory speech,local plumber Spencer promised to fight for those who feel "left behind", as she celebrated a majority of more than 4,000.

This is the second by-election since Labour's general election victory in 2024 and the party's second loss to a party with only a handful of sitting MPs.

The poll was triggered by the resignation of former Labour health minister Andrew Gwynne, who was suspended from the parliamentary party for offensive WhatsApp messages a year ago.

The Greens' victory at Gorton and Denton represents the sixth largest Labour majority to be overturned at a by-election since World War Two, in a seat that had been held by the party for nearly 100 years.

Spencerreceived 14,980 votes, nearly 41% of all votes cast, and there was a swing of 26.4% from Labour to Greens.

Reform UK's Matt Goodwin came second with 10,578, while Labour's Angeliki Stogia was third with 9,364. The Conservative Party's Charlotte Cadden came fourth with 706 votes - the party's worst ever by-election result - and the Liberal Democrats' Jackie Pearcey had 653.

In her victory speech Spencer - who becomes the Green Party's fifth MP - said: "Working hard used to get you something. It got you a house, a nice life, holidays, it got you somewhere.

"But now working hard, what does that get you? Because talk to anyone here and they will tell you, the people work hard but can't put food on the table, can't get their kids school uniforms, can't put their heating on, can't live off the pension they worked hard to save for, can't even begin to dream about ever having a holiday, ever.

"Because life has changed. Instead of working for a nice life, we're working to line the pockets of billionaires. We are being bled dry."

Spencer, who is also a councillor in Trafford alongside her job as a plumber, added: "Now to my customers, I'm sorry, but I think I might have to cancel the work that you had booked in, because I'm heading to Parliament.

"And when I get there, I will make space for everyone doing jobs like mine."

Green leader Zack Polanski told BBC Breakfast Gorton and Denton was only his party's 127th target seat and the victory showed "there's no no-go areas for the Green Party".

Reform UK's Goodwin said he thought he had "embarrassed Labour in one of their strongest seats".

"I think if we can do this here, we can do this pretty much anywhere," he added.

Blaming the Green victory on a "coalition of Islamists and woke progressives", Goodwin said: "I think what you've seen is the emergence of a dangerous sectarianism in British politics. I think the Greens are riding a very dangerous wave."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the result was "disappointing" but people "should not read too much" into it, arguing that "different dynamics" were at play during a general election.

A Labour source: "The Greens can win a by-election, but they cannot win a general election."

They added that the party did not have "a serious programme for government".

Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the result "must be a wake up call" and the government must be "braver".

"It's time to really listen - and to reflect," she said.

"Voters want the change that we promised - and they voted for."

Last month Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, a potential leadership challenger to Sir Keir, was blocked from standing in the seat by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee.

The move was backed by the prime minister but some Labour MPs, including Karl Turner, said he would have been the party's best chance of winning the seat.

Turner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the result was "catastrophic" for Labour, blaming "unpopular" policies.

Asked if Labour would have won with Burnham as the party's candidate, deputy leader Lucy Powell told the BBC: "That's a different discussion for a different day... Had he won this seat we would've been facing a [mayoral] by-election across Greater Manchester as well."

The result piles further pressure on Sir Keir ahead of crucial May elections in Scotland, Wales and some English councils.

Sharon Graham, leader of the Unite, Labour's biggest trade union backer, said the party needed to "ditch the gimmicks and get back to being Labour".

"Stop listening your rich mates and start listening to everyday people," she added.

Meanwhile, an election observer group raised concerns about family voting in the by-election, an illegal practice where two voters use one polling booth and potentially direct each other on which candidate to choose.

Democracy Volunteers said it witnessed the practice in 68% of polling stations it observed - the highest levels at any election in its 10-year history.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said this raised questions "about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas", claiming the election was "a victory for sectarian voting and cheating".

Manchester City Council said no issues had been reported and it was disappointed Democracy Volunteers had waited until after the close of polls to make the claims.

Polanski said if any wrongdoing had happened there should be an investigation, but pointed to the council's statement denying any issues.

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