❓WHAT HAPPENED: Britain’s extreme-left Green Party won a historic parliamentary by-election (special election) in the Gorton and Denton constituency (electoral district) in Manchester, England, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s left-wing Labour Party crashing to third place behind Nigel Farage’s Reform Party in a seat Labour had held for nearly a century.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Labour leader Keir Starmer, Green Party leader Zack Polanski, winning candidate Hannah Spencer, and Reform Party candidate Matt Goodwin.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The by-election in Gorton and Denton, Greater Manchester, took place on Thursday, following the resignation of former Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Andrew Gwynne.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I will keep on fighting for those people for as long as I’ve got breath in my body.” – Sir Keir Starmer
🎯IMPACT: The result has raised questions about Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership and the Labour Party’s strategy, with growing criticism of the Prime Minister from within the party.
Britain’s ruling, left-wing Labour Party has taken a significant hit in a parliamentary by-election (special election) in the Gorton and Denton constituency (electoral district) in Greater Manchester, England, where the extreme-left Green Party defeated them in a seat they had controlled for almost a century. This historic win marks the Green Party’s first-ever victory in a parliamentary by-election and brings their total Members of Parliament (MPs) to five—and raises questions about the future of Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Starmer described the results, which saw Labour crash to third place behind Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, as “disappointing,” but pledged to press on, saying, “I came into politics late in life to fight for change for those people who need it… I will keep on fighting for those people for as long as I’ve got breath in my body.” The loss has fueled internal backlash within Labour, with MPs like Karl Turner and Richard Burgon raising concerns about Starmer’s direction and approach.
The victorious Green Party candidate, Hannah Spencer—a local councillor—hailed the result as “just the beginning.” Green Party leader Zack Polanski declared that the win proved the Greens “can win anywhere” and pushed back against claims that their approach, which saw the Greens court the Muslim and ethnic minority vote with pro-Gaza and anti-Trump ads in Urdu and Bangla, was divisive.
Reform candidate Matt Goodwin argued that the results demonstrated Labour’s rapidly weakening grip over its traditional heartland areas, but expressed concern about the Greens’ victory as a product of minority bloc voting and possibly electoral fraud, saying, “We are losing our country. A dangerous Muslim sectarianism has emerged. We have only one general election left to save Britain.”
Starmer and his party face upcoming regional elections in Scotland and Wales, as well as local elections across England, which he previously attempted to postpone. Some Labour MPs are now openly calling for Starmer to step down, while others resist the idea of a messy internal leadership challenge.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.
