The Green Party has secured a historic by-election victory in Gorton and Denton, ending Labour’s unbeaten record in the constituency stretching back to 1931.
Hannah Spencer won the seat with 14,980 votes, representing nearly 41% of ballots cast. Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin finished second with 10,578 votes, while Labour’s Angeliki Stogia came third with 9,364.
The result marks a dramatic shift from the 2024 general election, when Labour secured 50.8% of the vote with 18,555 ballots. The Greens had placed third at that contest with 10.6% of the vote share. In this by-election, the Greens recorded a 28-point increase in vote share, while Labour experienced a 25-point drop.
In her victory speech, Spencer pledged to fight for working people and criticised what she described as “divisive figures” who “scapegoat” others. The 34-year-old plumber apologised to customers with existing bookings, telling supporters she would now be “heading to Parliament”.
Labour Party chair Anna Turley described the result as “clearly disappointing”. Former deputy leader Angela Rayner said the outcome “must be a wake-up call”, urging the party to “really listen” and “reflect”, adding that voters wanted the change Labour had promised.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the selection of Labour’s candidate when asked whether it had been wrong to block Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing. Labour’s National Executive Committee had ruled in January that preventing Burnham’s candidacy would “avoid an unnecessary mayoral election”.
Reform’s Matt Goodwin said his party had “embarrassed Labour” but criticised the Greens, accusing them of “riding a dangerous wave”.
Meanwhile, Democracy Volunteers said observers had witnessed “concerningly high” levels of family voting at polling stations. Manchester City Council rejected the claims, stating no concerns were reported during polling hours. Greater Manchester Police also confirmed it had received “no reports” of electoral offences.