The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Won the Recent Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader
The party's second-in-command has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the Gorton and Denton byelection, while she urged her party to leverage the influential Greater Manchester mayor.
An Unexpected Result for the Greens
Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, became the 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 surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month.
In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He likely could have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did."
Powell was the sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against.
Accepting Responsibility
However, she told the BBC she accepted "the group's decision" for the outcome, pointing to worries over triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party must learn from the sources of Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is on their side, someone who is implementing those Labour values and party pledges."
"We have to utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued.
What Comes Next
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "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 "disheartening."
Party Response
Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces new laws on tougher immigration measures next week.
An insider was reported stating, "The Labour government should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."
