The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, States Labour Number Two
Labour's deputy leader has indicated that Andy Burnham would have triumphed in the Gorton and Denton byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor.
A Surprise Victory for the Greens
Overturning 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 happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century.
Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia.
Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy
The surprise result has sparked fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month.
In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner 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, voting against.
Collective Decision
However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the ruling, pointing to worries over triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those core principles and Labour policies."
"It is essential we utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could do that better nationally," she continued.
What Comes Next
Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never."
So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disappointing."
Party Response
Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.
An insider was reported stating, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."
