The Green Party’s Hannah Spencer has won the Gorton and Denton by-election in a stunning win for the party.
Spencer won by more than 4,000 votes, with Reform’s Matt Goodwin finishing in second whilst Labour – who had previously held the seat with a 13,000 vote majority – finished a disappointing third.
Turnout for the vote was 47.62%.
READ NEXT: Greens second in new poll as worrying signs continue for Reform
The win is the first ever Westminster by-election victory for the Greens and means Spencer becomes their fifth MP in the House of Commons.
Speaking at the count after her victory was announced, Spencer said: “Even under chaos, even under pressure, I get things done. I am no different from every single person in this constituency.”
She went on to point to the struggles everyday people are facing at the moment, saying that hard work “”used to get you something,” but that now ” Instead of working for a nice life… we’re working to line the pockets of billionaires.”
“We are being bled dry,” Spencer continued, “I think everybody should get a nice life. Clearly I’m not the only person who thinks that.”
The Green Party’s newest MP also called out “politicians and divisive figures” who “scapegoat” others, saying people have “underestimated how similar we all actually are”.
She promised to “fight” for those who feel “left behind.”
The full results from the Gorton and Denton by-election are as follows:
- Green Party – 14,980
- Reform UK – 10,578
- Labour Party – 9,364
- Conservative Party – 706
- Liberal Democrats – 653
- Monster Raving Loony Party – 159
- Advance UK – 154
- Rejoin EU Party – 98
- Libertarian Party – 47
- Social Democratic Party – 46
- Communist League – 29
Polling expert John Curtice said the Greens’ win was a “quite remarkable performance,” and pointed to the fact they had beaten Labour by 15 percentage points.
He told the BBC Labour had “lost badly” and the result would “make life for Keir Starmer even worse.”
Labour Party chair Anna Turley has called tonight’s result “clearly disappointing”.
She said: “By-elections are normally difficult for the party of government, and this election was no different.
“We have had thousands of conversations over the last few weeks and we know the majority of voters here did not want the poisonous politics of Nigel Farage and Reform.
“We will continue to deliver a programme for government that tackles the cost of living crisis families are facing, creates opportunities for young people and invests in our public services.
“The politics of anger and easy answers offered by the Greens and Reform won’t deliver this.
Meanwhile, Matt Goodwin of Reform said his party had “embarrassed Labour in one of their strongest seats.”
Goodwin, who lost by more than 4,000 votes to Spencer, blamed the Green win on a “coalition of Islamists and woke progressives that came together to dominate a constituency.”
He claimed many would be “appalled” by the result.