Angela Rayner has spearheaded demands for Keir Starmer to steer the Labour Party decisively to the left in the wake of what she termed a 'catastrophic' by-election defeat. The former deputy prime minister asserted that the disastrous outcome in the previously secure Labour constituency of Gorton and Denton must function as a 'wake-up call' for a party that is failing to deliver 'the change that we promised'.
A Call for Bravery and a People-First Agenda
Ms Rayner, widely considered a frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir should he be ousted in the coming months, declared that the party leadership must demonstrate greater courage. She advocated for the adoption of a 'Labour agenda that puts people first' – a phrase widely interpreted as code for a more left-leaning platform focused on increased taxation and public spending.
Disastrous Result Sparks Internal Panic
Labour's candidate, Angeliki Stogia, finished a distant third behind the Green Party and Reform UK in the Gorton and Denton by-election. This poor performance came just days after the Prime Minister personally campaigned in the seat, asserting that only Labour could effectively challenge Nigel Farage's party.
Sir Keir appeared visibly shaken by the scale of the loss but remained defiant, vowing to continue leading 'for as long as I've got breath in my body'. However, panicked Labour MPs are urging an immediate leftward lurch to counter the Green Party's appeal before the party suffers further damage in the upcoming local elections in May. Some have even called directly for his resignation.
Internal Criticism and Policy Demands
Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, suggested the party should abandon attempts to compete with Reform UK on issues like immigration, stating plainly that 'we can't out-Reform Reform'. Other prominent figures within the party are demanding the introduction of wealth taxes and the renationalisation of key utilities.
The Prime Minister also faced significant internal anger over his decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat. Many Labour MPs believe Mr Burnham would have secured victory, though his return to Parliament could have paved the way for a potential leadership challenge.
Mounting Pressure and Leadership Speculation
While there is no immediate leadership challenge, the disastrous result has solidified the belief among many Labour MPs that Sir Keir Starmer could be forced out after the local elections in May. Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, described Sir Keir as an 'interim leader', ominously adding: 'It's now just a matter of how long that interim is.'
Mr Lewis, a supporter of Andy Burnham, claimed that Number 10 had 'lost its way', criticising what he called a government 'completely out of its depth'. Another senior Labour figure went further, privately describing the Prime Minister as a 'dead man walking'.
Strategic Blow and Electoral Warnings
A source close to the leadership suggested the result delivered a hammer blow to Sir Keir's strategy of uniting the left against Reform UK. 'The big winners in all this are Reform – because if the Greens can build a wedge on the Left, Reform can come through the middle,' the source warned.
Former Labour frontbencher Karl Turner labelled the Gorton result 'catastrophic' and urged the PM to shift left. 'We can't out-Right Reform on immigration and we can't out-Green the Greens on progressive policy. Perhaps we should try being Labour... what about a wealth tax that people can actually get behind?' he argued.
Union Leaders and Left-Wing MPs Join the Fray
Left-wing MP Richard Burgon asserted that responsibility for the defeat 'lies squarely with Keir Starmer and his clique'. He called on ministers to cease treating left-wing voters with 'contempt' and to embrace 'real Labour values' such as wealth taxes and nationalisations.
Trade union leaders added their voices to the chorus demanding change. Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, demanded Sir Keir resign 'immediately'. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham stated the party needed to 'ditch the gimmicks and get back to being Labour', urging Cabinet ministers to 'stop listening to your rich mates and start listening to everyday people.'
Steve Wright, chief of the Fire Brigades Union, warned the party would face 'heavy losses' in the May local and devolved elections unless it changed course 'immediately'.
The Victor's Message and the Numbers
In her victory speech, Green Party winner Hannah Spencer said voters desired a party that would prevent them from being 'bled dry' by billionaires. 'People in their thousands told me, on the doorstep and at the ballot box, that what we are sick of is being let down and looked down on,' she declared. 'That we are sick of our hard work making other people rich.'
Ms Spencer, a former plumber, won comfortably with 14,980 votes, well ahead of Reform UK's Matthew Goodwin on 10,578. Labour's Angeliki Stogia garnered just 9,364 votes in a seat where Labour's majority in the 2024 general election exceeded 13,000. The Conservative Party experienced its worst ever by-election result, with candidate Charlotte Cadden receiving a mere 706 votes and losing her deposit.
External Criticism and Starmer's Defence
Responding to the result, Conservative figure Kemi Badenoch claimed Sir Keir was 'in office but not in power', adding: 'If he had any integrity he would go.'
Nevertheless, Sir Keir Starmer insisted that only Labour could combat the 'extremes' represented by Reform UK and the Green Party. In a letter to Labour MPs, he wrote: 'We will continue to warn of the risk the Greens pose: the risk of extreme policies like legalising all drugs and pulling out of Nato that most voters strongly reject, and the risk of splitting the progressive vote so that Reform come through the middle.'
