The Greater Manchester Mayor Would 'Probably' Have Secured the Recent Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham would have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor.
A Surprise Victory for the Greens
Overcoming a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, was elected as the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for almost one hundred years.
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 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, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way 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 the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against.
Accepting Responsibility
However, she stated she accepted "the group's decision" for the outcome, citing concern about triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those core principles and Labour policies."
"It is essential we draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued.
Future Speculation
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at returning to parliament. A source close to him said, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never."
To date, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite calling the poll result "disappointing."
Internal Reactions
Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party.
In contrast, the Home Secretary is expected 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 reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."
