The Green Party’s Hannah Spencer won by quite some margin in the Gorton and Denton by-election yesterday. Labour came third behind Reform. The Tories lost their deposit…
There was a 47.50% turnout. The results:
Labour had not lost an election in the area since 1931 until last night, near halving their 50.8% of the vote in 2024. That is Labour’s 13th highest fall in support in a by-election. Polling guru John Curtice told BBC Breakfast:
“The nervousness that already existed inside the Labor Party about Keir Starmer’s ability to turn around his party’s electoral fortunes, that nervousness is now going to be heightened. Not that there will be any move against the Prime Minister before May the 7th, but his chances of surviving after May the 7th if the results are bad, have, I think, been diminished.”
Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell has already had to insist that “Keir is the right person for the job” this morning. The unions are starting to turn on Starmer, with general secretary of Unison Andrea Egan saying: “Under Keir Starmer the party is failing on every count, leaving the Greens to fill the vacuum.” Meanwhile, Reform’s Matt Goodwin said after his loss:
“A dangerous Muslim sectarianism has emerged. We have only one general election left to save Britain. Vote Reform every chance you get. I will continue the fight. I will always fight for you. I will stand at the next general election.”
Zack Polanski said after his party’s victory:
“This used to be one of Labour’s safest seats. The Green party saw a record-breaking swing in our direction and more than tripled our vote…Many ex-Labour voters told our canvassers that they will never go back to a party that supports genocide, fuels racism, and has failed to deliver on its promise to improve life for people across the country.”
Clock is ticking for Starmer…
Asked about warnings of a civil war in an interview with The House, Reform MP Danny Kruger said:
“Yeah. The only chance of unity for our country is Reform. If we don’t win, or if we win and then make a mess of it, I do fear for our country.”