The by-election saw a monumental victory for the Greens and a huge defeat for Labour
Green Party candidate and winner Hannah Spencer speaks after the vote count
In the early hours of Friday morning the latest UK by-election results were announced with the Green Party winning in Gorton and Denton, Greater Manchester. It was a historical victory for the Greens and a serious blow for Labour in a seat that has long been seen as a stronghold.
So much so that less than two years ago they won the seat in the 2024 General Election with a 13,413 majority.
Hannah Spencer, a plumber from Manchester, has been elected to Parliament as the Green Party’s first ever Westminster by-election winner.
It is a by-election that has reflected new trends emerging in UK politics with plenty of lessons to be learnt. So what does the Gorton and Denton by-election tell us? For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
Green Party vote sky rockets
This by-election has been monumental for the Green Party. As well as being the party’s first parliamentary by-election win, it is its first seat in north England. Taking home the win, Hannah Spencer received a staggering 14,980 votes, a vote share of 40.7%.
Second was Reform with 10,578 votes, Labour came third with 9,364 votes, the Conservatives picked up 706 votes and the Liberal Democrats, 653.
Many underestimated the threat of the Green Party, with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Labour’s Andy Burnham, who wanted to stand in Gorton and Denton but was blocked by his own party, saying Reform was Labour’s biggest opposition.
In recent by-elections, the Greens have often received less than 5% of votes with the highest in 2023 being 10.2%. Today, the results showed that they almost quadrupled their voter base.
In her victory speech, Ms Spencer said: “I am no different to every single person here in this constituency. I work hard. That is what we do.
“Except things have changed a lot over the last few decades, because working hard used to get you something. It got you a house, a nice life, holidays, it got you somewhere.
“But now, working hard, what does that get you? Because talk to anyone here and they will tell you, the people work hard but can’t put food on the table, can’t get their kids school uniforms, can’t put their heating on, can’t live off the pension they worked hard to save for, can’t even begin to dream about ever having a holiday, ever.
“Because life has changed. Instead of working for a nice life, we’re working to line the pockets of billionaires. We are being bled dry.”
People are not showing up to the ballot boxes
The voting polls opened at 7am on Thursday (February 26) and shut at 10pm in Greater Manchester.
However, most people across the Gorton and Denton area did not show up and cast their vote in the by-election.
On Friday morning, election officials revealed the turnout was 47.62%, with 36,903 votes cast.
In comparison, the turnout in the 2024 General Election was 47.8 per cent, with 36,560 votes cast.
Labour and Conservatives no longer top dogs
The results for Gorton and Denton have shown that the political parties that once fought it out election after election to run the country are losing popularity. In the 2024 General Election Labour received a 13,413 majority – 50.8% of the vote – but in the by-election their vote share fell by 25%.
The Conservatives only received 706 votes in Gorton and Denton, compared to the 2,888 they received in 2024.
Family voting concerns
Fury has arisen after election monitoring organisation, Democracy Volunteers, reported witnessing “concerningly high levels of family voting” at the polling stations yesterday.
Family voting is an illegal practice when family members enter a voting booth together and collude or direct the vote.
By-election officials expressed their frustration, stating they had received no such reports during polling day and challenged why the organisation had failed to flag these serious claims earlier.
The organisation stated it had witnessed the “highest levels of family voting at any election in our 10-year history of observing elections in the UK” during Thursday’s ballot.
John Ault, director of Democracy Volunteers, commented: “Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton. Based on our assessment of today’s observations, we have seen the highest levels of family voting at any election in our 10-year history of observing elections in the UK.
“We rarely issue a report on the night of an election, but the data we have collected today on family voting, when compared to other recent by-elections, is extremely high.”
Calls for Keir Starmer to resign
Sir Keir Starmer has said the loss at Gorton and Denton was “very disappointing”. This comes after former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the result “must be a wake up call,” and that “it’s time to really listen – and to reflect.”
She continued: “Voters want the change that we promised – and they voted for. If we want to unrig the system, if we want to make the change we were sent into Government to make, we have to be braver. A labour agenda that puts people first. That’s what all of us across our movement need to rededicate ourselves to this morning.”
Asked by reporters if he had considered resigning, Sir Keir Starmer said he would “keep on fighting” as well as pledging to “fight against extremes in politics” on both the left and the right.
