Abubakr Nanabawa from The Muslim Vote advises Muslims to vote for the Green Party in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election as it is the only progressive choice that has a realistic chance of beating Reform and Labour.
Labour’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election should trouble anyone who cares about democracy. This is not merely an internal party dispute; it is a window into a Labour Party that has grown increasingly fearful of even the mildest challenge to its authority.
Trust in Labour is eroding fast. It has failed to deliver tangible change. After more than a year of a deepening cost-of-living crisis, underfunded and overstretched public services, and more than two years of providing political and military support to Israel while starving Palestinians are shot in the streets, this government has inflicted suffering and injustice at home and abroad from the moment it was elected.
For voters who were promised change, Labour is no longer the safe bet.
Our communities have felt persistently unheard. Over the last 15 years, successive governments have failed to address the needs of working-class people. Voters have not simply disengaged; they are actively searching for alternatives.
Communities are not gravitating towards Reform because they believe in the party or its policies, but because mainstream politics has failed to offer a credible alternative grounded in justice, accountability and moral clarity.
Real political power lies in communities that understand power exists at the scale of those directly affected. Gorton and Denton should not be forced to choose between stagnation and scapegoating.
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Muslim voters
Muslim voters will undoubtedly play an important role in this by-election, as they have in many recent contests, but this election is about more than one community. It will test whether voters across the constituency can unite behind a candidate who genuinely reflects local priorities and offers a clear break from the messy politics of Westminster.
If we are to see both Labour and Reform defeated, unity among progressive forces is essential. Fragmentation at such a crucial moment will guarantee an outcome that does not benefit the people of Gorton and Denton.
On this occasion, the Green Party is best placed to challenge Reform, which is currently polling second and has a real opportunity to win. This is not about ideological purity, but political reality. The Greens have a growing base of support and a platform that resonates with the urgency of this moment—on Gaza, on inequality, on climate justice, and on democratic accountability.
However, credibility matters. The Green Party must act quickly to mobilise, engaging transparently and meaningfully with local communities to select the strongest possible candidate. It is paramount that other progressive and independent alternatives recognise the stakes and stand aside in the interests of unity.
This by-election reflects voters who are tired of the status quo and of being taken for granted. It is an opportunity for communities to demonstrate that they will no longer accept imposed choices, silenced dissent, or a politics that treats moral outrage as an inconvenience.
Gorton and Denton can send a powerful message: democracy cannot be managed from the top down, and real change only comes when communities are heard, respected, and trusted.
