In a seismic shift for British politics, the Green Party has delivered a humiliating blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party by securing victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Labour was pushed into an unprecedented third place, trailing behind both the Greens and the surging Reform UK party.
Green candidate Hannah Spencer, a professional plumber and plasterer, triumphed with 14,980 votes (40.7% of the total), while Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin finished second with 10,578 votes (28.7%). Labour’s Angeliki Stogia managed only 9,364 votes (25.4%), marking a dramatic collapse in traditional Labour support. The Conservative Party, which governed until July 2024, suffered a catastrophic result with merely 1.9% of the vote.
In her victory speech, Spencer declared she would “work hard for everyone in Gorton and Denton,” emphasizing community solidarity. “Our struggles might not be the same… but we stick up for each other,” she stated, criticizing an economic system where people “work to line the pockets of billionaires” instead of building a “nice life” for all.
The campaign was notably fierce, with allegations of racism and manipulation dominating the discourse. The Greens accused Goodwin of making racist statements, citing his history of controversial remarks about ethnicities and Muslims. Labour meanwhile accused the Greens of “manipulating Muslim voters,” which Spencer characterized as “racist dogwhistles” from the governing party.
The outcome has triggered a political crisis for Starmer’s leadership, compounded by revelations that Labour had blocked popular Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham—seen as a potential leadership contender—from standing in the constituency.
Reform UK’s response to defeat was inflammatory, with Goodwin claiming Britain faces “one general election left to save the country” from “dangerous Muslim sectarianism.” Leader Nigel Farage alleged the election represented “a victory for sectarian voting and cheating,” though election officials reported no irregularities during polling hours.
The controversy extended to allegations of “family voting,” which Labour requested authorities investigate. However, the acting returning officer confirmed polling staff were trained to prevent voter influence and reported “no such issues.
A Labour insider revealed the party “didn’t shortlist a single local Muslim candidate,” then blamed Muslim voters for abandoning Labour. The Muslim Vote campaign group called this narrative “irresponsible and insulting,” noting that bloc voting had been “welcomed when it benefited Labour.”
The campaign group framed the result positively as evidence that “young Muslims and wider voters are breaking from transactional politics and embracing democratic accountability.”
Adding to the post-election drama, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf deleted a social media post celebrating an anecdote about an elderly blind voter asking for Reform in a loud voice, which he had enthusiastically endorsed with “Love this!” before the post was revealed as likely satirical.