🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Won the Recent Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Green Party Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, was elected as the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has prompted renewed questioning of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to support 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 ruling, citing concern about necessitating a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party needed to draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those core principles and Labour policies." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. One ally commented, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces new laws on tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."
Labour's deputy leader has suggested that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. A Surprise Victory for the Green Party Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, was elected as the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for almost one hundred years. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, just ahead of the Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has prompted renewed questioning of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month. In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He likely could have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the same way that they did." Powell was the sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to support 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 ruling, citing concern about necessitating a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also stressed that her party needed to draw inspiration from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those core principles and Labour policies." "We have to draw on that, leverage Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success nationally," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. One ally commented, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be unwise to say he would never." To date, Burnham himself has yet to comment on the byelection result. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disheartening." Party Response Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces new laws on tougher immigration measures next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."