The Greater Manchester Mayor Was 'Likely' to Have Secured the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Deputy Leader
Labour's deputy leader has indicated that Andy Burnham would have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she urged her party to leverage the popular Greater Manchester mayor.
An Unexpected Result for the Greens
Overcoming a substantial 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 happened in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century.
Reform UK's Matt Goodwin finished second, narrowly beating the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia.
Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy
The surprise result has sparked renewed questioning of the party's controversial decision to prevent Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month.
Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham probably would have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the same way 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, opposing the move.
Accepting Responsibility
However, she told the BBC she understood "the group's decision" for the outcome, citing concern about necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also stressed that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those Labour values and party pledges."
"It is essential we draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could do that better across the country," she continued.
What Comes Next
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. A source close to him commented, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never."
So far, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disappointing."
Internal Reactions
Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party moving to the left 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 alienating support over immigration is simply incorrect."
