Until today, Labour had not lost an election in the Gorton and Denton area since 1931.

A historic win for the Green Party ended that winning streak, and Labour's fall in the vote share was significant.

At the 2024 general election, Labour received a 50.8% share of the vote, with 18,555 votes for candidate and former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne. The Green Party came in third, behind Reform, with 10.6% of the vote share.

This time around, things have changed.

The Greens won the seat with 14,980 votes and saw a 28% jump in the vote share, while Labour came third behind Reform and experienced a dip of 25%.

Joshua Tindall
Political reporter

Greater Manchester Police has told the BBC that they have received "no reports" of electoral offences at the Gorton and Denton by-election.

That statement comes after Democracy Volunteers, an election observer organisation, said their observers saw "concerningly high" levels of so-called family voting at polling stations in the constituency.

It's a claim Manchester City Council has disputed.

• Get up to speed with what family voting is

Image source, Pool

Still speaking to reporters, Starmer is asked if he believes he was wrong to block the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham from being Labour's candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

The prime minister says Labour had an excellent candidate in the by-election who was "rooted in her community", thanking Angeliki Stogia and everyone who campaigned in the constituency.

He adds that Labour have been fighting the extremes of the left and right.

• For context: Burnham - who is not an MP - sought permission to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election, but was blocked from doing so by Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) in January. The NEC, which includes Starmer, said this would "avoid an unnecessary mayoral election".

Image source, Pool

Away from Manchester, we're now hearing from Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the first time since the Gorton and Denton by-election.

He says this was a "very disappointing result" for Labour, who lost the seat to the Greens and finished in third behind Reform UK.

"Incumbent governments quite often get results like that mid-term," the PM tells reporters.

Despite this, Starmer says he understands that voters are "frustrated" and "impatient for change". He adds: "I will keep on fighting for those people for as long as I've got breath in my body."

Another question for Zack Polanski now, who's asked if he's expecting any defections from Labour, or any other parties, to the Greens.

In response, the party's leader says defections are not his priority right now.

"My priority right now, actually, is scoping out when might a likely by-election be about to happen, and how do we make sure we can be on the ground as quickly as possible, to make sure we can repeat this as many times as we need to".

Local elections in England in May, as well as those in the Senedd - Welsh parliament - are also priorities for Polanski and the Greens, he says.

We're going to leave the Greens' news conference there.

Image source, Getty Images

Both Green leader Zack Polanski and MP Hannah Spencer are now answering questions from reporters - we'll bring you any key lines.

Sky News' Beth Rigby notes that today's win for the Greens is unprecedented, with the party having never won a Westminster by-election before. She then asks if the Greens plan to "eviscerate" Labour.

Polanski says "it's beginning already", noting the Gorton and Denton seat was one of Labour's safest - the party hadn't lost in the area since 1931, until today.

"When you look at membership numbers, we're so close to that 200,000," he adds, saying people are "crying out for change, crying out for an alternative".

Green Party leader Zack Polanksi and his party's newest MP Hannah Spencer were all smiles as they arrived at a news conference in Manchester, billed as a victory rally, following their by-election win in Gorton and Denton.

Read our last couple of posts to see what the pair said when they took to the stage - with Spencer joking she may get teary and wouldn't apologise if she did.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

Hannah Spencer, continuing to address supporters at a victory rally, says the mission of her party is to "rebuild our country" based on values she sees practised day in and day out.

She says she was elected because people in her constituency want change and are "sick of being told there's no alternative" and they should "shut up and accept it" as household costs spiral.

The new MP says the by-election shows there is "no longer any such thing as a safe seat", and there's "no part of the country where the Green Party cannot win".

Image source, Getty Images

Hannah Spencer is next up on stage at the Green Party's victory rally.

The newly elected MP for Gorton and Denton begins by saying: "I may get a bit teary and I'm not going to apologise for that".

She takes a moment to thank the people of Gorton and Denton, saying she's "honoured" to be selected to represent them in Parliament.

Outlining her aims, Spencer says she wants to bring down the cost of living, introduce rent controls and sort out fly-tipping.

She also accuses the Labour Party of having "stooped so low", but says she's proud of the Green Party's "positive campaign" in this by-election: "Everyone deserves a voice in our democracy - we've rejected hate and embraced hope."

Zack Polanski kicks things off at the victory rally by commending his party for having "torn the roof of British politics" and calling their by-election victory "seismic".

The Green Party leader congratulates new MP Hannah Spencer and the wider team on running the "most incredible campaign", which he says was crystal clear on what the Green Party stands for.

"The starting gun has fired on local elections in 70 days time," Polanski goes on, adding that there are "new Hannah Spencers" across the UK who want to run for the Green Party.

"This is an existential crisis for the Labour Party," he says.

Image source, Reuters

The Green Party victory rally is now under way in Gorton and Denton, Greater Manchester.

You'll be able to watch live above and we'll bring you the latest updates as we're due to hear from Hannah Spencer, the new MP for the area, and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski.

Image source, Josie Gordon

Nurse Josie Gordon, who lives in the Gorton and Denton constituency, tells the BBC this was her first time voting for the Green Party, after years of voting Labour.

The biggest issue for her ahead of these elections was ensuring a "strong, accessible and well-funded health service".

Given these priorities, Gordon, 37, says she "voted for the most progressive party".

"This has been one of the strangest elections I've ever taken part in. I never thought we'd seethis seat be anything other than Labour."

The Green Party will soon host an event in Gorton and Denton, celebrating their historic by-election win.

We're expecting to hear from both the newly elected MP for Gorton and Denton Hannah Spencer, and Green Party Leader Zack Polanski.

When it gets going, you'll be able to watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, PA Media

The Liberal Democrats are also now reacting to the news the Green Party won a by-election in Gorton and Denton, gaining the seat from Labour.

Daisy Cooper, the party's deputy leader, says the result "shows people are bitterly disappointed with Labour but horrified by the rise of Reform".

She continues: "Keir Starmer’s government has been consumed by the Westminster soap opera instead of delivering on the issues that matter most, tackling the cost of living crisis and fixing the NHS."

"It’s clear people are willing to vote tactically for the party best placed to beat Reform," Cooper adds, saying that "across huge swathes of the country that is the Liberal Democrats".

"We’ve seen that in our record gains in local elections, and we will see it again come the elections in May."

Image source, ANDY RAIN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

The by-election result in Gorton and Denton "must be a wake up call" for Labour, says the party's former deputy leader Angela Rayner.

She says Labour must now "really listen" and "reflect", adding that voters "want the change that we [Labour] promised".

"If we want to unrig the system, if we want to make the change we were sent into government to make, we have to be braver," says Rayner who resigned from government in September over a row about her tax affairs.

"That’s what all of us across our movement need to rededicate ourselves to this morning."

Labour Party chair Anna Turley told the BBC that reports of family voting in the Gorton and Denton by-election were "extremely worrying and concerning". She said "obviously we need to see the evidence and the report, and then make due decision about what authorities should look into this".

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, meanwhile, told BBC Breakfast that any wrongdoing should be investigated - but pointed to Manchester City Council's insistence no issues had been reported.

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

With all this talk of so-called family voting, here's a quick reminder of what's been said (and denied) in relation to the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Allegations of family voting: A group of voluntary election observers who check voting processes - called Democracy Volunteers - raised concerns that people in their team had witnessed "high levels" of family voting.

Denial from Manchester City Council: The council, whose returning officer oversaw the election, said polling station staff were trained to look for undue influence on voters, and "no such issues" had been reported.

A reminder of what family voting is: It's where a family member is seen to be influencing somebody else's vote, for example by entering the polling booth with them. Under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023, it is an offence to be in a polling booth with another person in order to influence that person to vote in a particular way.

What the Electoral Commission says: That they're "aware of the report" but that "electoral offences are a matter for the police". The commission encourages anyone who believes an offence has occurred to report it to the relevant force.

Reform UK chair David Bull is the latest political figure to react to claims made overnight by election monitoring group Democracy Volunteers that they witnessed so-called family voting during the Gorton and Denton by-election (see our last post for more details).

Bull tells Radio 4's Today programme that family voting - where a family member is seen to be influencing somebody else's vote - is "illegal" and "should be stamped out".

When asked if he beleives this changed the outcome of the by-election result, he says: "If I'm being candid probably not."

"I think it’s really important that we stand back and look at all of this with cool, clear heads. We’ve all been up all night, and so any rash decision would be a bad decision, in my humble opinion."

Looking ahead to the May local elections, Bull says Reform are expecting to do "extremely well", and anticipate "a turquoise sea" of wins across the country.

Image source, Getty Images

The Electoral Commission, which is the watchdog responsible for overseeing the running of elections in the UK, says it's aware of concerns raised over family voting and urged anyone who wants to report a potential offence to go to the police.

"Electoral offences are a matter for the police", the commission says in a statement, adding:

"The statutory electoral observer Code of Practice says that electoral observers may bring potential irregularities, fraud or significant problems to the attention of elected officials on the spot.

"We provide advice and guidance to Returning Officers which supports their training of electoral staff and is available to staff in polling stations to guide decision making on polling day."

• As we reported earlier, an election observer group claimed its team witnessed "concerningly high levels" of such voting on Thursday. Manchester City Council, whose returning officer oversaw the election, disputed the claim - saying "no such issues" were reported.

There's some more commentary now from Zack Polanski, who spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live a little earlier.

Protest votes don't win elections with a 4,000 majority, he says after Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 14,980 votes, while Reform UK came second with 10,578 votes.

Polanski says that what he saw during this by-election in Greater Manchester was "people excited by what the Green Party are offering".

He also notes that "people are very disillusioned with the Labour Party and people including myself are worried about the divisiveness and hate that Reform are offering".

Polanski, who says he wishes "every morning could be like this", also repeats earlier comments he made that Spencer's win "can transform the faith of British politics".