Who won the Gorton and Denton by-election? Green Party's Hannah Spencer claims seat after three-way race
The Green Party has made history after Hannah Spencer won the party’s first ever parliamentary by-election as she was voted in as the new MP for Gorton and Denton.
The parliamentary by-election took place in the Greater Manchester constituency on Thursday, February 26, with many pedicting a tight three-party race between the Greens, Labour and Reform UK.
Formerly a Labour stronghold, Labour dropped to third in the polls with candidate Angeliki Stogia, while Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin placed second behind Spencer in the final result. The disappointing result for the Labour Party will pile even more pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Ms Spencer claimed the victory with 14,980 votes, marking a majority of 4,402. Mr Goodwin won 10,578 votes, while Ms Stogia returned a result of 9,364 votes, which is almost half of the 2024 general election Labour result of 18,555 votes.
Charlotte Cadden, the candidate for the Conservatives, won 706 votes, while Liberal Democrats’ Jackie Pearcey earned 653 votes.
In her victory speech, Ms Spencer said that hard working people were being “bled dry” and were “sick of our hard work making other people rich”. She added: “I won’t accept this victory tonight without calling out politicians and divisive figures who constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society.”
The 34-year-old plumber also joked with her customers, saying: “I think I might have to cancel the work that you had booked in, because I’m heading to Parliament.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski celebrated the victory, with Ms Spencer becoming the party’s fifth MP in parliament. Referencing the massive 27.5% swing from Labour to Green, he said: “If we see a swing like this at the next general election, there will be a tidal wave of new Green MPs.”
Reacting to the result, Mr Goodwin said: “I think the progressives were told how to vote, and I think what you saw was a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives that came together to dominate a constituency. And many people in this country will look at Gorton and Denton and be appalled by what they see.”
He added that Reform has “embarrassed Labour in one of their strongest seats”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has also claimed that “cheating” contributed to the result that saw his party’s candidate come second, after election observer group Democracy Volunteers warned it had witnessed “concerningly high levels” of family voting.
Family voting is an illegal practice ins which two voters use the same voting booth and potentially direct each other on how to vote. Farage said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating. Matt Goodwin was a great candidate for us. Roll on the elections on May 7th. It will be goodbye Starmer and goodbye to the Tory party.”
Manchester City Council rebuked claims that polling station staff had been informed of the concerns before polls closed, saying in a statement: “Polling station staff are trained to look out for any evidence of undue influence on voters.
“No such issues have been reported today. If Democracy Volunteers were so concerned about alleged issues they could and should have raised them with us during polling hours so that immediate action could be taken.”
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley described the disastrous result for the party as “cleary disappointing”, adding: “By-elections are normally difficult for the party of government, and this election was no different.”
She added that “the politics of anger and easy answers offered by the Greens and Reform” would not be the answer to issues such as the cost-of-living crisis.
Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell also said that the Gorton and Denton result would not have impact on Sir Keir’s standing as party leader or PM, saying that he “is resolute in his job as leader of the Labour Party, as our Prime Minister”.
However, there is likely to be some scrutiny on Sir Keir’s decision heading into the by-election, including deciding to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from running as the Labour candidate.
The by-election in Gorton and Denton was triggered after former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne resigned from his seat. Gwynne, who had been elected in 2024, stood down for health reasons.