Green Party Manifesto thrust into spotlight after historic Gorton and Denton win

The green party manifesto has been thrust into the spotlight after the Green Party won the Gorton and Denton by-election, a historic first by-election victory that left Labour third and piled fresh pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Green Party Manifesto hits the spotlight after historic win

The Greens won Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, with 34-year-old plumber Hannah Spencer taking the seat and becoming the party's first ever MP in the north of England and the fifth Green MP in the Commons. Reform UK finished second and Labour slumped to third in what had long been a Labour stronghold. The Greens said the result — in what the party described as its 127th target seat — showed they "can win anywhere" and predicted further gains in English council elections and the Welsh Senedd in May.

Police probe and 'family voting' claims

Nigel Farage said his Reform UK party had made a report to Greater Manchester Police and to the Electoral Commission over alleged cases of "family voting" in Gorton and Denton. Greater Manchester Police confirmed it has received a report into the claims and said: "We can confirm a report has been made. We are in the process of reviewing this report and will provide a further update in due course. " The Electoral Commission confirmed it had received a letter from Nigel Farage MP and said it did not have a direct role in investigating allegations of electoral fraud, describing that as a matter for the police; it added it would carefully consider the points raised in line with its role in supporting well-run elections.

Observers, counts and local reactions

Democracy Volunteers, impartial observers allowed into polling stations, said it saw "concerningly high levels of family voting" in Gorton and Denton, reporting family voting in 15 of the 22 polling stations it was at across the constituency, which has 45 stations in total. The group said it identified 32 instances overall and claimed one polling station saw nine cases. The context note that family voting — when members of the same family or household enter a voting booth together and collude or direct voting intentions — is a criminal offence in the UK under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023. Manchester City Council said no issues had been reported locally and called it "extremely disappointing" the group had waited until after the close of polls to make the claims.

Starmer vows to fight on as media and MPs pile pressure

Sir Keir Starmer described the result as "very disappointing" and vowed to "keep on fighting" after the by-election loss, saying he was "getting on with the hard yards" of turning Labour's fortunes around. He told MPs he would not step down and would continue to fight "for as long as I've got breath in my body. " The defeat has prompted renewed criticism from Labour MPs ahead of May elections in Scotland, Wales and some English councils, and ministers are said to believe it is now "inevitable" that Sir Keir will not lead Labour into the election, a pressure picked up across national newspapers.

Former deputy Angela Rayner said the defeat must be a "wake up call" and urged the government to be "braver. " Some Labour figures blamed Sir Keir's decision to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing in the seat; Burnham was yet to comment and declined to speak to reporters outside an event in Manchester he attended on Friday evening.

Press headlines and party responses

Front-page coverage across national titles ran a mix of interpretations. One paper framed the loss as a crushing by-election defeat that should push Labour left; another headlined "Green delight sparks nightmare for Labour" and said Sir Keir faced an ultimatum from his own party to change direction or face a leadership challenge. A separate front-page report noted calls for Labour to push ahead with a crackdown on migration despite the Greens' win and carried a large image of Hannah Spencer. The FT Weekend said Sir Keir had seen his political strategy "shattered, " and pieces flagged that the result comes ahead of other international developments that have led the US, UK and other countries to order some citizens and diplomats to leave the Middle East over fears "a Trump administration attack on Iran could spiral into a regional conflict. " Other front pages ran headlines including one reading "Plaster la vista Starmer, " referencing Hannah Spencer's background as a plasterer and plumber; another ran "Wake-up call" alongside coverage of Sir Keir's vow to fight; one featured a vandalised statue of Winston Churchill with the headline "How dare you!" and a story on arrests; and one led with a piece about Ian Huntley's condition headlined "He's battered beyond recognition. "

Greens and leader reactions

A Green Party spokesman said the scale of the victory showed the party had picked up substantial support across the constituency and framed it as "a victory for unity over division, for hope over hate, " adding their message to lower bills, protect the NHS and public services and for peace and human rights had resonated. Hannah Spencer, who sits on the local council, dismissed accusations of sectarian politics and said her party had united voters around common concerns about the cost of living, public services and the war in Gaza. She told supporters, "I know in my heart, and everyone knows here, everybody here belongs. Everybody deserves to have their needs met. Everyone deserves a voice in our democracy. " Green leader Zack Polanski, who took charge of the party five months ago and describes himself as an "eco-populist, " said Sir Keir's accusations had attempted to "smear voters as extremists, " and Polanski has pushed a left-wing pitch on the economy alongside traditional environmental policies.

Live coverage was paused after the result. The police review of the family-voting report remains under way, the Electoral Commission has said it will consider Nigel Farage's letter, and the next set of electoral tests on the calendar are the May elections in Scotland, Wales and several English councils.