🔗 Share this article The Greater Manchester Mayor Would 'Probably' Have Secured the Recent Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could 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 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 consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The surprise result 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 likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she stated she understood "collective responsibility" for the outcome, citing concern about triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges." "It is essential we utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. One ally said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise 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 "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 set to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for stricter border controls next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could 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 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 consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The surprise result 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 likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Collective Decision However, she stated she understood "collective responsibility" for the outcome, citing concern about triggering a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges." "It is essential we utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. One ally said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise 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 "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 set to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for stricter border controls next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."