🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Number Two Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Green Party Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, citing concern about triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is delivering those Labour values and Labour policies." "It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at returning to parliament. A source close to him said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The Labour government should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Green Party Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, citing concern about triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is delivering those Labour values and Labour policies." "It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at returning to parliament. A source close to him said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The Labour government should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."