🔗 Share this article Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured the Recent Byelection, Says Labour Number Two The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, 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 triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must learn from the sources of 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 utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success across the country," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at becoming an MP again. One ally commented, "Given the current political climate, 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 vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disappointing." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham could have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor. An Unexpected Result for the Greens Overcoming a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had consistently returned Labour MPs for nearly a century. The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin placed second, just ahead of the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia. Fresh Questions Over Candidate Decision The surprise result has prompted fresh debate of the party's controversial decision to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month. Speaking to the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, stated, "He probably would have held the seat. I think definitely the Greens wouldn't have targeted the seat in the manner that they did." Powell was the only member of Labour's ruling national executive committee to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, 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 triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester. Powell also emphasized that her party must learn from the sources of 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 utilise that insight, leverage Andy Burnham, but also learn from it and consider how we could replicate that success across the country," she continued. Future Speculation Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at becoming an MP again. One ally commented, "Given the current political climate, 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 vowed to fight on despite labelling the poll result "disappointing." Internal Reactions Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is expected to caution about the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes new laws on stricter border controls next week. A source close to the Home Secretary was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its recent byelection loss. The idea that we are alienating support over immigration is just plain wrong."