🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured the Recent Byelection, States Labour Number Two Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, was elected as the Green 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, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think certainly 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 support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she understood "collective responsibility" for the outcome, citing concern about necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out having another go at becoming an MP again. A source close to him said, "With all the chaos and turmoil, 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." Party Response Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" 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 stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a local plumber, was elected as the Green 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, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think certainly 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 support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she understood "collective responsibility" for the outcome, citing concern about necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those Labour values and party pledges." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could do that better nationally," she continued. What Comes Next Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out having another go at becoming an MP again. A source close to him said, "With all the chaos and turmoil, 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." Party Response Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" 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 stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."