The Greater Manchester Mayor Would 'Probably' Have Won the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she called for her party to make more use of 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, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened 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 official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia.
Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy
The surprise result has sparked fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month.
Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the same way that they did."
Powell was the sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move.
Accepting Responsibility
However, she stated she accepted "collective responsibility" for the ruling, citing concern about triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is on their side, someone who is implementing those core principles and Labour policies."
"We have to utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could do that better across the country," she added.
Future Speculation
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "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 byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite labelling the poll result "disheartening."
Internal Reactions
Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party.
In contrast, the Home Secretary is set to caution about the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on tougher immigration measures next week.
An insider was reported stating, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."
