🔗 Share this article The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Secured the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Number Two The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to make more use of the popular Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, was elected as the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has sparked renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she understood "the group's decision" for the outcome, citing concern about necessitating a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for 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." "It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she added. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering 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 foolish 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 labelling the poll result "disheartening." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to make more use of the popular Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, was elected as the Green Party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has sparked renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against. Accepting Responsibility However, she stated she understood "the group's decision" for the outcome, citing concern about necessitating a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for 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." "It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she added. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering 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 foolish 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 labelling the poll result "disheartening." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for tougher immigration measures next week. An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."