🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Won Gorton and Denton Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader The party's second-in-command has suggested that Andy Burnham would have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has sparked fresh debate of the party's choice 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 certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC 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 must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is implementing those core principles and party pledges." "It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go 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 foolish to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." 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 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 Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. 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 would have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has sparked fresh debate of the party's choice 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 certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC 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 must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is implementing those core principles and party pledges." "It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go 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 foolish to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." 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 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 Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."