🔗 Share this article The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Won the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Number Two Labour's deputy leader has indicated that Andy Burnham would have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she called for her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party needed to learn from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at returning to parliament. One ally commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."
Labour's deputy leader has indicated that Andy Burnham would have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she called for her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party needed to learn from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at returning to parliament. One ally commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."