🔗 Share this article The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Won Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overcoming a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she understood "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those core principles and Labour policies." "It is essential we utilise that insight, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at returning to parliament. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disappointing." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons 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 indicated that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overcoming a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she understood "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those core principles and Labour policies." "It is essential we utilise that insight, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at returning to parliament. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disappointing." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."