By Election Results: Greens win Gorton and Denton — by election results confirm historic gain
by election results show the Green Party have won the Gorton and Denton by-election, delivering the party’s first ever Westminster by-election victory and its first MP in northern England. Hannah Spencer is the new MP; Reform’s Matt Goodwin finished second and Labour’s Angeliki Stogia came third.
By Election Results and timing
Counting began in south‑east Manchester after polls closed in what was described as a three‑way battle between the Greens, Labour and Reform. The by‑election had been scheduled for Thursday 26 February and the result was set to be declared at about 4am on Friday.
Greens, Labour and Reform fight
The contest had been framed as a tight three‑horse race. Labour had been defending a 13, 413‑vote majority from the 2024 election in a constituency where nearly 80% of voters backed a party on the left at that election. The Green party leader Zack Polanski said his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK before voting and warned that Labour would have to “search their conscience” if Reform won. Keir Starmer’s party told left‑leaning voters that only Labour could see off Nigel Farage’s Reform, arguing that a vote for the Greens was “in effect, a vote for Reform. ”
Hannah Spencer's background and quotes
Hannah Spencer, 34, becomes the first Green candidate to win a Westminster by‑election and the party’s first MP in northern England. She leads the Greens on Trafford Council and has represented the Hale ward since May 2023. Spencer has worked as a plumber since she was 16, stood in the 2024 Greater Manchester mayoral election, and said in her victory speech that she qualified as a plasterer two weeks ago. She owns four greyhounds and took them on the campaign trail. In her speech she said: “I didn't grow up wanting to be a politician. I am a plumber. I am no different to every single person here in this constituency. I work hard. That is what we do. ”
Trigger, candidates and controversies
The by‑election was triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds in January; the context notes Gwynne was under investigation by parliament for offensive messages he sent in a WhatsApp group of a local Labour figure. Labour’s candidate was Angeliki Stogia, a councillor selected after Andy Burnham was prevented from standing. Reform UK’s candidate was the academic‑turned‑GB News presenter Matt Goodwin, who has faced criticism for his comments on women, Muslims and British citizenship. Spencer finished first, Goodwin second and Stogia third.
Voting concerns and reactions
Election observers said they witnessed “concerningly high” levels of “family voting” at polling stations; that observation was disputed by the council. Polling expert Sir John Curtice commented: “It's not just that Labour have lost, they've lost badly. ” A Conservative spokesperson noted the Conservatives came fourth with 706 votes and said Keir Starmer has “killed the Labour Party, ” adding: “In losing one of Labour's safest seats, in a constituency that has returned Labour MPs for almost a century, Starmer has shown he no longer commands the support of Labour voters and is now a lame duck leader. ”
Analysis and wider implications
Prof Will Jennings of the University of Southampton said the contest was too close to call and that in Britain’s new fragmented politics “anything can happen. ” He warned a Labour defeat would be “terminal” for No 10’s strategy to appeal to right‑leaning voters, which he said had alienated core progressive supporters. Jennings said: “It would be a symbol of the failure of that strategy and the end point for it, ” and argued the worst‑case scenario for Labour would be coming third behind Reform and the Greens, “not least because of the decision to stop Andy Burnham from standing. ”
Zack Polanski accused Labour of sinking to “a new low” with an attack advert showing 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” and said Starmer’s visit to the constituency had “felt very much like spoiler behaviour. ” Starmer himself had described the Greens’ plan to legalise drugs as “disgusting” and claimed it would turn parks and playgrounds into “crack dens. ”
The coverage of the contest was edited by Owen Amos and Angus Thompson, with Chris Mason and Jack Fenwick reporting from Manchester.
The by election results mark a historic shift in Gorton and Denton: the Green Party has taken a seat long held by Labour, with Spencer’s victory reshaping the immediate political narrative in the constituency.
