Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader
Labour's deputy leader has indicated that Andy Burnham would have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor.
A Surprise Victory for the Greens
Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, 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, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia.
Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision
The surprise result has sparked fresh debate of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month.
In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "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 top decision-making body to vote in favour of 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 ruling, citing concern about necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party needed to learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is fighting for them, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges."
"We have to draw on that, make use of 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. One ally said, "Given the current political climate, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never."
So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disheartening."
Party Response
Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party.
In contrast, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.
A source close to the Home Secretary 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."
