The Green Party has secured a historic victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection, dealing a significant blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green councillor, was elected as the party’s first MP in northern England, overturning Labour’s 13,000-vote majority. Labour came third with 14,980 votes, behind Reform UK on 10,578 votes, while the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats lost their deposits with under 2% each.
The result represents a 25.4 percentage point drop in Labour’s vote share compared to the 2024 general election. It is the first time in nearly 100 years that the Gorton area of Manchester has not been represented by a Labour MP. The byelection was triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne on health grounds in January, following an investigation into offensive messages he sent in a WhatsApp group.
In her victory speech, Spencer said people were “being bled dry” and criticised politicians who “constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society”. She emphasised community solidarity and said her Muslim friends and neighbours were “just like me – human”. The Greens’ energetic campaign, which saw thousands of volunteers travel from across the UK, was credited with securing the win.
Labour sources acknowledged that the party had not been forgiven by many Muslim voters for its stance on Gaza, an issue the Greens capitalised on. A Labour councillor said: “Gaza has not been forgotten or forgiven. Lots of us are now worried for our seats.” Labour had sought to frame the byelection as a choice between “unity and hope” or the “toxic division” of Reform UK.
Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin, an academic and GB News presenter, blamed his loss on “a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives”. He accused the Green Party of “playing sectarian politics” by writing to constituents in Urdu. Turnout in the closely watched seat was 47.6%, slightly lower than in the 2024 general election.
Prime Minister Starmer described the result as “very disappointing” but said he would “keep on fighting for those people for as long as I’ve got breath in my body”. The victory establishes the Greens as a serious political force and a credible anti-Reform alternative, deepening concerns among Labour MPs that the party is losing voters on the left.
