Andy Burnham Would 'Probably' Have Secured the Recent Byelection, States Labour Number Two
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham would have won the recent Manchester byelection, as she urged 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 last general election, a local Green councillor, a local plumber, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This happened 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.
Renewed Scrutiny Over Candidate Decision
The surprise result has sparked renewed questioning of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month.
In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "He likely could 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 ruling national executive committee to support allowing Burnham to stand, with the majority, including leader Keir Starmer, opposing the move.
Accepting Responsibility
However, she told the BBC she accepted "collective responsibility" for the outcome, pointing to worries over necessitating a separate election in Greater Manchester.
Powell also stressed that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's strong support in the region. She said people "see in him someone who is on their side, someone who is delivering those core principles and Labour policies."
"It is essential we draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and consider how we could do that better nationally," she added.
What Comes Next
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering another attempt at returning to parliament. A source close to him said, "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 not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has pledged to continue despite calling the poll result "disappointing."
Party Response
Angela Rayner, a key figure on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a stark warning" for the party.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party shifting leftward in response to the defeat. This comes as the government proposes legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.
An insider was reported stating, "The Labour government should not misinterpret the message from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."
