Greens take Gorton and Denton as By Election Results overturn expectations

The Green Party has won the Gorton and Denton contest, a result that matters because it marks the Green Party's first ever Westminster by-election win and comes after a three-way fight that had counting under close scrutiny. The by election results delivered Hannah Spencer as the new MP, with Reform's Matt Goodwin second and Labour's Angeliki Stogia third.

Hannah Spencer: Trafford councillor, plumber and Westminster's newest MP

Hannah Spencer, a Trafford councillor and a plumber by trade, emerged as the winner and is now Westminster's newest MP. Spencer said she "didn't grow up wanting to be a politician" and told voters it was "really clear" people were "ready for something different. " She said voters were "rejecting the political parties that have always shut us out" and that people had voted for "someone like me, who is actually just pretty normal. " Spencer described her focus as "social justice issues, " including climate and the cost of living, and said those issues "can be fixed" after being ignored by politicians for too long.

By Election Results: margin, turnout and vote shares

Spencer won the vote by more than 4, 000 votes. Turnout was 47. 62% of the electorate, slightly lower than the 47. 8% recorded at the 2024 general election. A senior polling expert, Sir John Curtice, said the surprising aspect of the outcome was its scale, noting the Greens had "actually managed to win nearly 41% of the votes cast in this constituency. " He added that "it's not just that Labour have lost, they've lost badly" and that the result would "make life for Keir Starmer even worse. "

Three-way battle: Reform, Labour and Greens in a close contest

The contest had been described as a three-way battle between the Green Party, Labour and Reform UK, with polls closing and counting beginning in south-east Manchester after an unpredictable campaign. Reform's Matt Goodwin, an academic turned presenter who has faced criticism for comments on women, Muslims and British citizenship, finished in second place. Labour's Angeliki Stogia, a councillor who was selected after Andy Burnham was prevented from standing, finished third. Before voting, Green party leader Zack Polanski had said his party was "neck and neck" with Reform to overturn Labour's 13, 000-vote majority and warned Labour would need to "search their conscience" if Reform won.

Campaign tensions, adverts and leader interventions

Keir Starmer visited the constituency and criticised the Greens' plan to legalise drugs as "disgusting, " saying it would turn parks and playgrounds into "crack dens. " Zack Polanski described Starmer's visit as "felt very much like spoiler behaviour" and accused Labour of sinking to "a new low" with an attack advert that showed a green syringe alongside the words: "Heroin, crack cocaine, spice. Green party says YES. " Polanski called the advert "the last desperate gasp of a Keir Starmer Labour government. "

What commentators and academics said about the stakes

Prof Will Jennings of the University of Southampton described the contest as too close to call before the result and warned that a Labour defeat would be "terminal" for No 10's strategy to appeal to right-leaning voters, a strategy he said had alienated progressive supporters. Jennings said the worst-case scenario for Labour would be coming third behind Reform and the Greens, in part because of the decision to stop Andy Burnham from standing. He added that a Labour victory would "staunch that sense of inevitability of the end of Starmer, " and could mark a turning point for a government described as being eight points behind Reform in the polls, though any relief for Starmer might be short-lived because Labour was expected to suffer heavy losses in local and devolved elections in 10 weeks.

Trigger, timetable and procedural concerns

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds in January; the former MP was under investigation by parliament for offensive messages he sent in a WhatsApp group of a local Labour figure. The contest had been scheduled for Thursday 26 February, with the result declared at about 4am on Friday. Election observers reported "concerningly high" levels of "family voting" at polling stations, a claim that was disputed by the council.

Electoral reform arguments and wider implications

Commentators have pointed to broader questions about the voting system. Critics said the 2024 general election was the most disproportional ever, with Labour securing almost two-thirds of MPs from just over one-third of votes, and argued that First Past The Post struggles where three or more parties compete. With Labour, the Green Party and Reform UK all contesting Gorton and Denton strongly, it was described as highly plausible that the ballots of a majority of voters could be ignored under First Past The Post. Proponents of change pointed to the Single Transferable Vote used in Scottish local elections, where voters number candidates and preferences are transferred until someone wins a majority, as an alternative that avoids forcing voters into tactical choices.

Coverage credits and on-the-ground notes

Edited by Owen Amos and Angus Thompson, with Chris Mason and Jack Fenwick reporting from Manchester. Media attention around the seat meant the outcome was closely scrutinised for what it might mean for the Green Party, Reform and Labour. More now from Hannah Spencer, Westminster's newest MP.