Greens beat Labour and Reform in Gorton and Denton 2026

Key Points

• In a Gorton and Denton by-election held on 26 February 2026, Hannah Spencer of the Green Party won the election by securing 14,980 votes (40.7%).
• This is the first time ever that the Green Party has won any Westminster by-election and an MP in northern England.
• Matt Goodwin of Reform UK was the runner-up with 10,578 votes (28.7%) followed by Labour’s Angeliki Stogia in third place with 9,364 votes (25.4%).
• The Greens overturned a majority of 13,413 votes (sixth-largest ever) of the previous election held in 2024, which was in favor of Labour.
• The turnout was 47.5-47.6%, with a swing of 26.4 percentage points from Labour to Greens.
• The by-election was caused due to the resignation of Andrew Gwynne who resigned on account of ill health caused due to WhatsApp messages scandal.
• The decision of the Labour Party to disallow Andy Burnham from contesting further increased pressure on Keir Starmer’s leadership after the loss.
• Conservative’s candidate, Charlotte Cadden secured the fourth position with 706 votes (1.9%).

Gorton (Manchester Mirror) September 26, 2026 – The Green Party secured a historic by-election victory in Gorton and Denton as Hannah Spencer was elected MP, becoming the party’s first representative in northern England and delivering a severe blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government. Spencer received 14,980 votes, 40.7% of the total, defeating Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin, who took 10,578 votes (28.7%), and Labour’s Angeliki Stogia, who finished third with 9,364 votes (25.4%). The outcome overturned Labour’s 13,413-vote majority from the 2024 general election and ended nearly a century of uninterrupted Labour representation in the Gorton area.

As reported by Jennifer McKiernan and Becky Morton of the BBC, Spencer told supporters in an emotional victory speech that “working hard used to get you something” but now people were “being bled dry” while “working to line the pockets of billionaires”. She added, according to the BBC, that she would “make space for everyone doing jobs like mine” after joking she might have to cancel plumbing appointments because she was “heading to Parliament”. Josh Halliday of the Guardian noted Spencer also emphasised community solidarity, saying her “Muslim friends and neighbours are just like me – human”, in a constituency where around 28% of residents are Muslim.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski told the BBC the win showed “there’s no no-go areas for the Green Party”, describing Gorton and Denton as only the party’s 127th target seat. Reform UK’s Goodwin, as quoted by the BBC, blamed his defeat on “a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives” and accused the Greens of “playing sectarian politics”, including by writing to constituents in Urdu. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the result “disappointing” but warned against reading too much into it, while a Labour source told the BBC that “the Greens can win a by-election, but they cannot win a general election”.

What were the full Gorton and Denton by-election results?

The official results for the 26 February 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election, as published by the UK Parliament and Manchester City Council, were:

• Hannah Spencer (Green Party): 14,980 votes (40.6–40.7%)
• Matt Goodwin (Reform UK): 10,578 votes (28.7%)
• Angeliki Stogia (Labour): 9,364 votes (25.4%)
• Charlotte Cadden (Conservative): 706 votes (1.9%)
• Jackie Pearcey (Liberal Democrats): 653 votes (under 2%)

Spencer’s majority over Goodwin was 4,402 votes (12.0 percentage points), on a turnout of 47.5–47.6%. The swing from Labour to the Greens was 26.4 percentage points, the Guardian reported, with Labour’s vote share falling by 25.4 points compared with 2024. Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats lost their deposits after failing to reach the 5% threshold.

Why did the Gorton and Denton by-election take place?

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, the former Labour MP for the seat, who stood down on health grounds in January 2026. Gwynne, who served as a health minister from July 2024 to February 2025, had the Labour whip suspended and was removed from government in February 2025 over his membership of a WhatsApp group containing offensive messages. In a statement, Gwynne said he had suffered “significant ill health” and received medical advice not to return to Parliament, adding that his condition had been “greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year’s events regarding leaked text messages”.

His departure prompted speculation that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham might seek to return to Parliament. Burnham, who stepped down as an MP in 2017 to contest the mayoralty, had been linked with a possible leadership challenge to Starmer and had criticised a “climate of fear” in Labour at the party’s 2025 annual conference. However, Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 8–1 to block Burnham’s candidacy, with only deputy leader Lucy Powell supporting him. A Labour spokesperson said Burnham was “doing a great job as Mayor of Greater Manchester” and that avoiding an unnecessary mayoral by-election was in the party’s best interests.

How did parties and leaders react to the Green victory?

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the result as “very disappointing” but insisted he would “keep on fighting”, ruling out resignation when asked by reporters. Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the outcome “must be a wake up call” and urged the government to be “braver” and to “really listen” to voters. Karl Turner, a Labour MP, called the result “catastrophic” and blamed “unpopular” policies, while Sharon Graham, leader of Unite, Labour’s biggest union backer, said the party needed to “ditch the gimmicks and get back to being Labour”.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski told the BBC the win proved the Greens were “not here to be disappointed with Labour, but to replace them”, and that they were “the only progressive party capable of taking on and beating Reform”. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seized on allegations of “family voting” raised by the observer group Democracy Volunteers, which said it witnessed the practice in 68% of polling stations it observed. Farage claimed this raised questions “about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas”, describing the election as “a victory for sectarian voting and cheating”. Manchester City Council said no issues had been reported and expressed disappointment that Democracy Volunteers waited until after polls closed to make the claims.

What does the result mean for Labour and Keir Starmer?

The defeat intensified pressure on Starmer’s leadership, marking Labour’s second consecutive by-election loss to an insurgent party after Reform UK won Runcorn and Helsby in May 2025. The Guardian reported that Labour insiders had hoped voters would stick with the party rather than back an insurgent candidate and risk a Reform win, but the Greens’ energetic campaign and Spencer’s local profile as “Hannah the plumber” proved decisive. Labour sources cited in the Guardian said many Muslim voters had not forgiven the party for its stance on Gaza, an issue the Greens capitalised on in the Manchester side of the constituency.

The Mainstream Labour group, backed by Burnham, called the decision to block him a “catastrophic error”, saying:

“This loss was avoidable… our leader and sections of the NEC blocked the one candidate who could have won it for us.”

In the wake of poor results in the May 2026 local and devolved elections, former junior minister Josh Simons resigned his Makerfield seat to enable Burnham to return to Parliament, arguing that “urgent, radical, courageous reform” was needed starting with a change in leadership. Burnham later confirmed he would seek to enter any future Labour leadership contest if elected in Makerfield, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned and declared he had lost confidence in Starmer.

Background to the Gorton and Denton by-election development

The Gorton and Denton by-election unfolded against a backdrop of internal Labour turmoil, including the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, which generated damaging headlines for Starmer in early 2026. The seat had been a Labour stronghold since 1931, with the party taking 50.8% of the vote and a 13,413-vote majority in 2024. The Greens, who won 13.2% in 2024, benefited from a surge in membership after Zack Polanski’s election as leader in September 2025, reaching 125,000 members and polling as high as 17% in January 2026.

The contest also became mired in accusations of dirty tricks, with Reform hauled before the high court over letters purporting to be from a “concerned neighbour” that lacked the required political imprint; the party blamed an error at its printing supplier. Labour and the Greens traded barbs throughout the campaign, reflecting a battle on the left that Risked splitting the progressive vote and benefiting Reform. Spencer’s victory gave the Greens their fifth Westminster MP, 120 miles from their next closest seat, proving the party could win outside its southern cluster.

Prediction: How could this development affect voters, parties and UK politics?

The Gorton and Denton result is likely to reshape strategic calculations for voters, parties and campaigners across England’s urban, post-industrial constituencies. For left-leaning and protest voters disillusioned with Labour’s centrist direction, the Green victory demonstrates a viable route to unseat the party without handing seats to Reform, potentially encouraging similar tactical shifts in other multi-party contests. For Labour, the loss in a century-old stronghold, combined with the Burnham blockade controversy and Gaza-related anger among Muslim voters, risks further erosion of its traditional base unless the party recalibrates its policy offer and candidate selection approach.

For the Green Party, the win establishes a template for targeting working-class, diverse urban seats with locally rooted candidates and community-focused messaging, possibly accelerating its growth beyond southern, university-town strongholds. For Reform UK, finishing second in a heavily Muslim constituency while alleging sectarian dynamics may harden its focus on identity and immigration issues, even as it seeks to broaden appeal elsewhere. Overall, the by-election points towards a more fragmented, multi-party system in which progressive and populist insurgents can both thrive, increasing volatility for incumbents and complicating national election forecasts.