Labour is being eaten alive by the Greens and Reform UK

In an opinion piece for Scotland’s Daily Record, which will have strong echoes in Wales ahead of the Senedd election here, the Record’s Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says Labour is heading for a fall

Paul Hutcheon

21:58, 27 Feb 2026Updated 22:04, 27 Feb 2026

The Green Party’s win in Gorton and Denton is a political earthquake whose tremors will be felt for years to come.

Labour won the same constituency with over 50% of the vote at the general election, but slumped to an abysmal third place on Friday.

Much has been written about the rise of Reform and the way Labour are haemorrhaging votes to the resurgent Right.

But the result in Greater Manchester also confirms Labour also leaking votes to the Left.

The Greens used to be party synonymous with fighting climate change, protecting the natural environment and generally adopting a pacifist approach to world affairs.

They are now a full-blown progressive party that is committed to social justice and a fairer society.

They won by pushing hard for a fairer society and supporting the people of Gaza, not by demanding more radical policies on net zero,

Reform appeals to older voters, the Greens speak directly to the young, and Labour finds themselves squeezed as people across the UK turn their backs on Keir Starmer.

All Labour has is an attachment to a woolly and widely mocked definition of “working people” that excludes small business owners and anyone earning over £40,000.

Labour’s dismal predicament is what happens when a party focuses on winning but gives little thought to governing.

In Tony Blair’s first year as Prime Minister, he made the Bank of England independent, pushed through devolution and delivered peace in Northern Ireland.

None of these measures cost a fortune in political terms and yet these transformative policies changed the UK forever.

Against a backdrop of tight public finances, Starmer should have a similar policy but had nothing to fall back on in his first twelve months.

He surfed the wave of voter anger to get into Downing Street and now seems certain to be overcome by a tsunami of anger.

Voters are increasingly intolerant of political failure and the public have made up their minds on the PM.

The result in Gorton and Denton is also likely to have consequences for the Holyrood election on May 7th.

Reform UK are in line for second place and Labour will now be worried about the Scottish Greens.

Political parties in devolved elections are largely judged on how their parent organisations are performing at Westminster. Just ask Anas Sarwar or Russell Findlay.

The Green Party and the Scottish Greens are separate entities, but most voters will not know they are distinct.

With UK leader Zack Polanski one of the most popular politicians in the UK, the Scottish Greens will inevitably benefit from his star power.

Polanski campaigning in Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Southside – two Holyrood targets for the Scottish Greens – could result in two humbling defeats for the SNP.

And just as Reform looks likely to scupper Labour in the Holyrood constituencies by splitting the pro-UK vote, so too are the Greens eyeing up Labour seats on the regional lists.

Labour are being eaten alive and Starmer does not have the political skills to stop it.

This article originally appeared in the Daily Record.