The Green Party have won their first ever by-election in Gorton and Denton, securing a historic victory over Labour who haven’t lost in the area since 1931, proving the importance of the Muslim vote and delivering a humiliating defeat to Reform UK.
The Greens’ candidate Hannah Spencer has taken the seat from Labour in what is the party’s first ever Westminster by-election victory.
Spencer won by over 4,000 votes, beating Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin in second place and pushing Labour into a humiliating third position.
Labour took the Greater Manchester seat in 2024 with over 50% of the vote.
An unlikely candidate
Spencer, who is a local plumber by profession with no formal background in politics, released an emotional victory speech following the historic win where she personally thanked the local Muslim voters and vowed to fight for people who feel “left behind”.
“Even in chaos, even under pressure, I get things done. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a politician. I am a plumber,” Spencer said.
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“I am no different to every single person here in this constituency. I work hard. That is what we do.”
Spencer also used her speech to criticise the divisive politics and use of Islamophobic rhetoric, particularly by Reform UK.
“I won’t accept this victory tonight without calling out politicians and divisive figures who constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society,” she said. “My Muslim friends and neighbours are just like me, human.”
Importance of Muslim voters
The Muslim vote was crucial in securing the Greens’ victory, representing a significant bloc of around 30% in Gorton and Denton, especially in urban wards such as Longsight and Levenshulme.
The Green Party had ran a targeted campaign aimed at Muslim voters throughout the run-up to the by-election.
The party distributed campaign material in Urdu, Punjabi, Arabic, and Pashto, and appealed to concerns of the community on international issues such as the war in Gaza.
Campaign messaging explicitly urged Muslim voters to “make Labour pay” and positioned the Greens as the best defence against both Reform UK and any policies they view as unfavourable.
The Greens’ “seismic” victory has pushed Labour into an awkward position, having to face a dramatic loss that they didn’t expect. The victory represents the sixth largest Labour victory to be overturned at a by-election since World War Two.
The Labour seat had been held by the party for more than 100 years.
Spencer received 14,980 votes, which was nearly 41% of all votes, which also resulted in a swing of 26.4% of votes from Labour to the Greens.
Reform UK’s candidate Matt Goodwin came second with 10,578 votes, and Labour’s Angeliki Stogia third with 9,364. The Conservatives came fourth with 706 votes, the party’s worst ever by-election result.
Reform UK hit back
However, the dramatic victory has not come without controversy.
Reform’s Matt Goodwin blamed the Green victory on a “coalition of Islamists and woke progressives”. Goodwin said: “I think what you’ve seen is the emergence of dangerous sectarianism in British politics. I think the Greens are riding a very dangerous wave.”
In a separate statement posted on X, Goodwin said: “We are losing our country. A dangerous Muslim sectarianism has emerged. We have only one general election left to save Britain. Vote Reform every chance you get. I will continue the fight. I will always fight for you. I will stand at the next general election. Matt.”
A wave of other Islamophobic comments from Reform UK members have followed on social media after their embarrassing loss, claiming “Islamists” are posing a threat to UK democracy.
This by-election has shown how important tactical voting has become. Many voters who oppose Reform UK for their divisive anti-Muslim rhetoric see the Greens or Labour as vehicles to block a right-wing surge.
It just so proved that the Greens seem to be the more viable option for the voters who appeared to be engaged in a strategic dilemma over whether to give their vote to Labour or the Greens.
Labour’s stance on foreign policy, with issues such as Israel/Palestine, left many Muslim and young voters with a lack of confidence in the party.
But even with the Greens’ controversial stances on liberal social issues such as LGBT matters, transgenderism, and abortion, Muslims still decided to swing towards them.
The Greens’ victory has certainly proved to be a major shift in British politics, but Labour noted how they doubt the party can go all the way and win a general election.
