The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Won the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor.
An Unexpected Result for the Greens
Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, was elected as the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century.
Reform UK's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia.
Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision
The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning 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 definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the manner that they did."
Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move.
Collective Decision
However, she stated she understood "the group's decision" for the outcome, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party needed to 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 delivering those core principles and Labour policies."
"We have to utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could do that better across the country," she added.
What Comes Next
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 Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening."
Internal Reactions
Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described 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 she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.
An insider was quoted as saying, "The Labour government should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."
