Just over 100 days ago, "Hannah the Plumber" became the victor of the Gorton and Denton by-election. The Green Party's Hannah Spencer has now been an MP for 100 days, and on a rainy afternoon in Levenshulme, part of the constituency, opinions are easy to find.
Community Presence
Residents mention seeing her at community events, following her on social media, and spotting viral clips of her speaking in Westminster. Many say they can feel her presence and see the work she's putting in, but they struggle to identify whether anything has actually changed.
Ms Spencer, known as "Hannah the Plumber" to many, secured her victory in February's by-election, becoming one of the Green Party's handful of MPs. After 100 days representing the constituency, she says she has been exactly the sort of MP she promised voters she would be.
Reflections on the First 100 Days
"I look back and I struggle to pick each bit because I've done so much," she told the Manchester Evening News during an interview in Westminster. "I barely have a day off. I had a couple of days in Yorkshire in May and that was great, and then I was just itching to get back out. I've met so many community groups in the constituency. I've done surgeries now in every part of the constituency."
Ms Spencer says she has thrown herself into constituency casework while also making her mark in Parliament. "I've just seen stuff and, if I think it's not right, I've called it out," she said, possibly nodding to one of her more viral moments, when she revealed she felt "really uneasy" about the prevalence of drinking in Westminster, claiming "you can smell the alcohol when people are in between votes".
She said the move hasn't made her hugely popular with a number of fellow MPs. When she asked Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister's Questions if he agrees with MPs "drinking on the job", Ms Spencer says she was met with "booing and jeering" from colleagues. She added: "That really was one of the things that I promised residents: I would challenge stuff. I would try and make this place more accessible to more people. It's more important what constituents think of me than some people whispering in the corridors about me here."
Resident Reactions
Back in Levenshulme, that message appears to be landing with many of the people who voted for her. Matthew Kinnear, 27, who works in student support and voted Green in the by-election, said: "I've definitely noticed her presence in the community. She's super open to getting to know us and it definitely feels like she wants to make a difference. In terms of actual differences, I've not first-hand seen anything… Even from far away I can see she's definitely trying to get involved and she's super social online."
For Molly McKernon, who also backed Ms Spencer in the by-election, support has only grown since polling day. "If anything, my opinion of her has improved," she said. "I voted for her and I now follow her on social media. The work she's been doing has been really good. I think it's too early to see physical changes but I think she's doing the work."
Listening to Constituents
Ms Spencer believes much of her role so far has been listening to constituents and understanding the issues residents here are facing. "What's incredible is the amount of people who come to surgeries who are going through something, or who have been through something, and who say, 'I don't want this to happen to anyone else'," she said. "That's been proven to me. People come to me and say, 'I'm noticing this and I'm worried about these people.' People really do care about each other."
She recalls one constituent who spent an appointment discussing concerns about others rather than herself, such as her transgender family member and her knitting group that can't afford wool to make clothes for premature babies anymore. "She talked about all these different groups of people," Ms Spencer said. "She was advocating for them because it was just natural to her. That really captured something important for me."
The MP argues that community spirit is one of the constituency's greatest strengths and says it has shaped her priorities in office. Among the issues she is now focusing on are support for small businesses, hospitality venues and tackling tool theft.
Policy Focus
"One of the things I'm getting stuck into now is business and trade, and how legislation affects small businesses," she said. "We want to look at reducing pressure, and pushing government to reduce costs for small hospitality venues so they can stay open and remain part of the community."
Environmental issues are also central to her agenda. Ms Spencer points to air quality concerns along the A6 and the need to protect green spaces across the constituency. For some residents, there are already signs of improvement, even if they're not sure how much credit can be attributed to their MP.
Mixed Views on Change
Ishmail Mushtaq, 21, couldn't remember Ms Spencer's name when approached by the M.E.N. but recalled voting Green in the by-election. Asked whether anything had changed since then, he pointed towards a section of the high street. "There used to be so much rubbish over there," he said. "But it's definitely cleaner which I'm happy about."
Others remain more cautious. Bob Oram, 66, said he has noticed little change so far, though he believes that is to be expected. "It's a big world down there [in Westminster] and she obviously has to get herself acclimatised to it," he said. "So far, I've seen things she's said in government and she seems to be getting into it." He added that he was particularly pleased to see Ms Spencer criticising Westminster's drinking culture. The retired RMT trade union worker added: "Having been in the Houses of Parliament myself quite a lot and worked with MPs, I got to know quite a lot of them and you saw some pretty serious drinking go on there, that's for sure."
Retired factory worker Alistair McCracken was the only resident who stopped to speak with the M.E.N. that didn't vote Green. Instead, he backed Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia in February and says he has noticed "absolutely no difference whatsoever" since Ms Spencer was elected. "I'm happy we've got a Green MP," he said. "But as far as how that will impact Gorton, Levenshulme and Denton, I really can't see any difference." "I'm very glad Reform didn't get in," he added. "This is a multicultural neighbourhood - everybody gets on. The streets are very friendly and people help each other out. Reform are just picking up on the fear, uncertainty and doubt that is sown by all the billionaires in the world."
Looking Ahead
Ms Spencer argues that voters wanted a different style of politics as much as immediate results. "I think they now really feel that shift - something different, someone who will hold the status quo to account and push things in a better direction," she said. "People voted for something different because they wanted something different. People expect MPs to do the right thing, to listen to people, and to act in the interests of communities rather than political leaders or donors. I've had people tell me, 'I didn't vote for you, but I can already see you're working hard and that's what I wanted'."
For supermarket worker Hamza Shahbaz, 28, that visibility remains important. "She was recently here during Eid week, which was good," he said. As Ms Spencer looks ahead to her next 100 days, she says the focus will remain firmly on the constituency. The MP has now opened a constituency office in Denton and says she is beginning to feel more settled into the role. "The next 100 days is more days with groups in our constituency, more surgeries and more work in Parliament," she said. For now, the verdict from the streets of her constituency is broadly positive - but cautious. Many residents can see an MP who is active, visible and engaged. What they cannot yet point to are the lasting changes that might define her time in office.
