đź”— Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Won the Recent Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she called for her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC she understood "collective responsibility" 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 implementing those core principles and party pledges." "It is essential we utilise that insight, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success across the country," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." 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 she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she called for her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Greens Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, Hannah Spencer, a community tradesperson, became the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against. Collective Decision However, she told the BBC she understood "collective responsibility" 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 implementing those core principles and party pledges." "It is essential we utilise that insight, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success across the country," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." 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 she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."