The polls have closed in the Gorton and Denton byelection in south-east Manchester after one of the most unpredictable contests in recent years. Counting is under way in a three-way battle between Labour, the Green party and Reform UK, with the result expected around 4am on Friday.
Labour is defending a 13,413-vote majority in a seat where nearly 80% of voters backed a left-wing party at the 2024 general election. The byelection was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds in January, after he was investigated for offensive messages sent in a WhatsApp group.
The candidates are Angeliki Stogia for Labour, Hannah Spencer for the Greens, and Matt Goodwin for Reform UK. Goodwin, an academic turned GB News presenter, has faced criticism for comments on women, Muslims and British citizenship. Green party leader Zack Polanski said before voting that his party was “neck and neck” with Reform to overturn Labour’s majority.
Labour’s campaign focused on warning left-leaning voters that only Labour could beat Reform, a strategy that backfired in the Caerphilly byelection in October, which Labour lost to Plaid Cymru. Prof Will Jennings of the University of Southampton said the contest was too close to call, and a Labour defeat would be “terminal” for the government’s strategy of appealing to right-leaning voters, potentially seeing Labour come third behind Reform and the Greens.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited the constituency on Monday, describing the Greens’ plan to legalise drugs as “disgusting” and claiming it would turn parks into “crack dens”. Labour also ran an attack advert showing a green syringe with the words “Heroin, crack cocaine, spice. Green party says YES.” Polanski accused Labour of sinking to “a new low” and said the party would have to “search their conscience” if Reform wins.
