🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham would have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, was elected as the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He 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 sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she told the BBC she accepted "collective responsibility" for the outcome, pointing to worries over triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed 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 Labour values and Labour policies." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could do that better across the country," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him said, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise 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 labelling the poll result "disheartening." 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 moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham would have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, was elected as the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He 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 sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she told the BBC she accepted "collective responsibility" for the outcome, pointing to worries over triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed 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 Labour values and Labour policies." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could do that better across the country," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him said, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise 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 labelling the poll result "disheartening." 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 moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."