News: 'Starmer on ropes' and a nightmare for Labour after Greens seize Gorton and Denton
This news brief captures the immediate fallout from a seismic by-election in Gorton and Denton: the Green Party has won the seat, prompting internal revolt, public allegations and widespread front-page drama that together intensify pressure on Sir Keir Starmer and reshape the campaign battleground.
News fallout: headlines, pressure and leadership questions
Coverage across the political landscape has framed the result as catastrophic for Labour, saying pressure is growing on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to move the party to the left. Some ministers are said to believe "it is now 'inevitable' that Starmer will not lead Labour into the election". Sir Keir has vowed he will not step down and will continue to fight "for as long as I've got breath in my body". Other reactions have demanded a leftward shift "or resign" and described an ultimatum that could trigger a leadership challenge within months.
Greens' breakthrough in Gorton and Denton
The Green Party achieved a historic upset in Gorton and Denton. The Greens took 40% of the vote, overturning Labour's 13, 000 majority with a 26 percentage point swing and winning by 4, 400 votes over Reform. The party moved from third place at the previous general election to first — only the 18th time in 100 years that a party has come from third to take a seat. Observers say the result proves a surge linked to Zack Polanski is real and positions the Greens firmly on Labour's left.
Hannah Spencer's victory speech and profile
Hannah Spencer, the winning candidate, delivered a down-to-earth victory speech that highlighted her working-class background. She is a plumber who recently qualified as a plasterer and framed her victory as rooted in pride in being a working-class woman from the constituency. She spoke about the cost of living crisis, neighbours looking out for one another and multiculturalism defeating toxic right-wing politics. The campaign had invited journalists to a first press conference and a constituency surgery; the message and the surgery sequence went smoothly and the speech was described as an object lesson in grace after little sleep.
Reform reaction and Matt Goodwin's response
Reform finished second with roughly 28% of the vote while Labour trailed on about 25%. Reform's candidate Matt Goodwin reacted angrily, accused the Greens of sectarianism and cheating, and was reported to have claimed cheating in the count. The campaign saw moments of fury and bitter commentary: Goodwin was described as believing he had a divine right to win. Controversial remarks attributed to him — that anyone who was black or brown was not properly British and that white girls should leave school and have babies rather than get jobs — were cited as factors that alienated large portions of the electorate. Nigel Farage was noted as keeping distance from the fallout.
Broader consequences: policing claims, political recriminations and other headlines
The by-election result triggered calls for investigations and sensational public reactions. Some voices urged police to investigate "clear evidence" of voter fraud and raised warnings that Britain is "sleepwalking into sectarian politics". Recriminations began within hours of the result, with a former deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, calling the outcome a "wake-up call" and urging the party to "be braver" — a remark framed as echoing what many MPs now believe: Labour needs to move more to the left.
Other front-page material alongside the political news included a proposal to press ahead with a crackdown on migration urged by Shabana Mahmood, the closure of a British embassy in Iran, a headline about electric car drivers being spied on through their phones, and wider international concern as some countries ordered citizens and diplomats to leave the Middle East amid fears of escalating regional conflict. Separately, public interest stories highlighted a vandalised statue of Winston Churchill and the reported condition of convicted child killer Ian Huntley, whose mother visited him in hospital.
What happens next
The result leaves Labour fighting on two fronts: against Reform on one flank and an emboldened Green Party on the other. The Greens can now argue they can beat Reform in working-class Britain as their leadership positions the party to Labour's left. Sir Keir's campaign claim that only Labour could defeat Reform has been undermined by this outcome, and the party now faces urgent internal debate about direction. The full political implications will unfold in the coming weeks as parties respond, complaints are processed and votes are examined; for now, the immediate landscape is one of heightened tension and rapid strategic reassessment.
