The Green Party has pulled off a landmark victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, dealing a significant blow to Sir Keir Starmer’s government.
In a result that political scientist Sir John Curtice described as "seismic," Green candidate Hannah Spencer—a local plumber and councillor—overturned a massive 13,000-vote Labour majority. The win marks the Green Party's first-ever parliamentary by-election victory and establishes them as a formidable force in the North of England.
The night went from bad to worse for the Prime Minister as Labour were pushed into third place in a seat they had represented in various forms for nearly a century. Reform UK finished second, ahead of Labour's Angeliki Stogia, highlighting a dramatic collapse in the government's support in its traditional heartlands.
The Result
Hannah Spencer (Green): 14,980 votes (40.6%)
Matt Goodwin (Reform UK): 10,578 votes (28.7%)
Angeliki Stogia (Labour): 9,364 votes (25.4%)
Majority: 4,402
Turnout: 47.6%
‘Working people are being bled dry’
In an emotional victory speech, Ms. Spencer—who found local fame during the campaign as "Hannah the plumber"—said the result proved that voters were tired of "politics as usual."
"People in Gorton and Denton are being bled dry," she told the count. "Instead of working for a nice life, we are working to line the pockets of billionaires. Tonight, this community said enough is enough." She also took aim at her rivals, vowing to "call out politicians who scapegoat our neighbours" and promising to represent "everyone, no matter where they were born."
Green Party leader Zack Polanski hailed the result as a "tidal wave" that proved the Greens are now the "credible alternative" to both Labour and Reform.
Labour’s ‘Catastrophic Error’
The post-mortem into Labour’s defeat began almost immediately, with much of the anger directed at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). Critics pointed to the decision to block Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing as the candidate as a "catastrophic error."
Allies of Mr. Burnham argued that his local popularity could have seen off the insurgent threats. The group Mainstream Labour stated: "This loss was entirely avoidable. Our leadership blocked the one candidate who could have won it for us."
Labour sources also admitted that the party had struggled to hold onto Muslim voters, many of whom shifted to the Greens over the government's stance on international conflicts, specifically the situation in Gaza.
Reform Reaction
Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin blamed his second-place finish on what he called a "coalition of progressives and sectarian voters," a claim the Greens dismissed as "straight out of the Trump playbook." Despite the loss, Reform figures noted that beating the governing party in a Manchester stronghold was a "massive embarrassment" for Sir Keir Starmer.
The result leaves the Green Party with five MPs in Westminster and sets the stage for a bruising set of local elections for Labour this May.