🔗 Share this article The Greater Manchester Mayor Would 'Probably' Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham would have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she called for her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, 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. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think certainly 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, voting against. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over necessitating a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is delivering those core principles and party pledges." "It is essential we draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could replicate that success across the country," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him 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 yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disappointing." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on tougher immigration measures next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham would have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she called for her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, 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. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think certainly 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, voting against. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over necessitating a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is delivering those core principles and party pledges." "It is essential we draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could replicate that success across the country," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him 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 yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disappointing." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on tougher immigration measures next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."