Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader
The party's second-in-command has suggested that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor.
A Surprise Victory for the Greens
Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last 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 nearly a century.
The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia.
Fresh Questions Over Blocked Candidacy
The surprise result has prompted fresh debate 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 certainly the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did."
Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against.
Collective Decision
However, she told the BBC she understood "the group's decision" for the outcome, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party must draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is fighting for them, someone who is delivering those Labour values and Labour policies."
"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 across the country," she added.
Future Speculation
Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out having another go at returning to parliament. One ally 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 Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite calling the poll result "disheartening."
Internal Reactions
Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party.
In contrast, the Home Secretary is expected to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.
An insider was quoted as saying, "The party should not learn the wrong lessons from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is simply incorrect."
