Gorton And Denton By-election opens as tactical voting debate and a family voting row intensify
The gorton and denton by-election opened for voters in parts of Greater Manchester on Thursday, a contest that has become a three-way fight and has sharpened arguments about First Past the Post ahead of a results declaration expected in the early hours of Friday.
Gorton And Denton By-election sees voters head to the polls
Polling stations opened at 07: 00 GMT (2: 00 a. m. ET) and will close at 22: 00 GMT (5: 00 p. m. ET) on Thursday 26 February, with ballots to decide who becomes the new MP for the constituency after the seat became vacant. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of now former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on 22 January on the grounds of ill health.
Who is standing and what commentators are saying
Published candidate names include Sir Oink A-Lot (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party) and Sebastian Moore (Social Democratic Party). Commentators have warned this could be a three-way tussle, with Labour, Reform UK and the Green Party contesting strongly and national figures such as Matt Goodwin invoked in local debate.
Polling day tensions: family voting row, live counts and local incidents
Coverage of the day has flagged a family voting row, with Democracy Volunteers issuing a new response to allegations, and live results pages noting family voting claims as Labour, Reform and the Greens were described as 'too close to call'. Votes are being counted tonight, and the result is expected to be declared in the early hours of Friday morning. Local incidents noted during the campaign period include police called to the site of an unauthorised traveller caravan camp in Warrington, residents' dismay over a 'cruise ship' warehouse din, barriers placed around a popular restaurant in Warrington, and a separate local story in which Cheshire East’s leader and deputy remained in post after surviving a vote of no-confidence. Readers have been invited to send story ideas by WhatsApp to 0808 100 2230.
Tactical voting, three-way contest and wider questions about FPTP
Campaigning in the gorton and denton by-election has been dominated by tactical arguments, with Labour and the Green Party both urging voters they are the only option to 'stop Reform'. One commentator described the contest as a sign of the cracks in First Past the Post: a seat Labour would normally win comfortably has become a three-way race featuring Reform UK and the Greens, producing voter calculations about who might best prevent an unwanted outcome.
National context: disproportional results and alternatives
Critics point to the wider electoral picture: the UK general election of 2024 was described as the most disproportional ever, with Labour securing almost two-thirds of MPs from just over one-third of votes. A model cited from last autumn by a pollster suggested Reform could in theory win 48% of seats at Westminster on as little as 27% of the vote. Proponents of change highlight how preferential systems work elsewhere: Scottish local elections use the Single Transferable Vote where voters number candidates and votes transfer until someone wins a majority, a system presented as avoiding the need for tactical guesswork.
At the time of writing, the exact outcome for Gorton and Denton remained unclear in the provided context and votes were still being counted. The next confirmed milestone is the declaration of the result, expected in the early hours of Friday when counting finishes and officials announce the new MP.
