🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader The party's second-in-command has suggested that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she urged her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, narrowly beating the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has prompted renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against. Accepting Responsibility However, she told the BBC she understood "collective responsibility" for the ruling, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out having another go at returning to parliament. One ally commented, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces new laws on stricter border controls next week. An insider was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."
The party's second-in-command has suggested that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she urged her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, narrowly beating the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has prompted renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against. Accepting Responsibility However, she told the BBC she understood "collective responsibility" for the ruling, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out having another go at returning to parliament. One ally commented, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces new laws on stricter border controls next week. An insider was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."