🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the Gorton and Denton byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Green Party Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the outcome, citing concern about triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is on their side, someone who is implementing those Labour values and Labour policies." "It is essential we draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she added. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at returning to parliament. A source close to him said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the Gorton and Denton byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Green Party Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the outcome, citing concern about triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is on their side, someone who is implementing those Labour values and Labour policies." "It is essential we draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she added. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at returning to parliament. A source close to him said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never." So far, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."