Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 27, 2026
5 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleKeir Starmer vowed to fight political “extremes” after Labour was pushed into third in the Gorton and Denton by-election (26 Feb 2026), as the Greens’ Hannah Spencer won with 40.7% and Reform UK came second on 28.7%. The upset—confirmed by Parliament’s published result—adds to pressure on Starmer ah
By Andy Bruce and Andrew MacAskill
MANCHESTER, Feb 27 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to fight political "extremes" on the right and left on Friday after his Labour Party suffered a humiliating election defeat to the left-wing Green Party in an area it had dominated for almost a century.
In a result that underscored the breakdown of Britain's two-party politics, the loss of a safe Labour seat in England's northwestern region of Greater Manchester piles pressure on Starmer after weeks of turmoil and calls for him to resign.
The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the contest for the seat of Gorton and Denton, with Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party coming second, and Labour in third.
Starmer described the result as "very disappointing", arguing that while governing parties were often punished at such elections, he understood voter anger.
"I will ... fight against the extremes in politics on the right and the left," he told reporters, promising to work "as long as I've got breath in my body" to deliver the change he promised when he won a landslide national election in 2024.
GREENS TARGETING AT LEAST 30 SEATS
But his words will do little to calm some in his party, who criticised an election strategy that focused on the threat from Reform, rather than targeting the Greens.
Spencer told a news conference the party would go from strength to strength before the next national election, which must take place by mid-August 2029, and Green leader Zack Polanski said he wanted to secure at least 30 seats, possibly up to 50, in Britain's 650-seat parliament.
John Curtice, Britain's most respected pollster, called the result a "seismic moment", which means the "future of British politics looks more uncertain than at any stage" since the end of World War Two, uncertainty reflected across much of the West.
STEEP FALL IN SUPPORT FOR LABOUR
Starmer had staked his personal authority on Labour winning the seat by blocking one of his rivals, the popular Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, from standing, and by visiting the constituency earlier this week.
The defeat comes after Starmer faced the most dangerous moment of his premiership this month when some lawmakers said he should resign over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, despite his links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2024, Labour won just over half the vote in the area. On Friday, the Green Party won 40.7% of the vote. Reform won 28.7% and Labour received 25.4%.
OLD LOYALTIES FRACTURE AS VOTERS SHIFT TO INSURGENT PARTIES
Labour lawmakers say Starmer is unlikely to face an immediate threat to his position, but some questioned his strategy.
"In an election we tried to make into one of unity versus division, the electorate chose division - just not the division we were campaigning most against," said one Labour lawmaker.
Starmer could be challenged after May elections when Labour is expected to fare badly in local and regional polls.
Gorton and Denton was once part of Labour's coalition of industrial areas in England considered to be so impregnable it was called the Red Wall, but the contest was an example of how the electorate has become more volatile.
It was the first time the Green Party, which supports leaving NATO and legalising recreational drugs, had won such an election or one in northern England. That takes the party's number of seats in parliament to five out of 650.
Life-time Labour supporter Gerald Gudgion, 73, said he had voted for the Greens because Britain needed "a change of direction and I think the Greens are offering that".
CHALLENGES FOR FARAGE'S REFORM TOO
Friday's result shows how Reform, seen as the main challenger to Labour at the next election, could struggle to win in some places, particularly ethnically diverse urban areas.
Reform's candidate Matt Goodwin alienated some voters in Gorton and Denton, which has a large number of Muslim residents, with his past comments that British Muslims "are fundamentally opposed to British values and ways of life".
Farage said the result, in an area where some Muslim voters have called for greater support for Palestinians in Gaza, was a "victory for sectarian voting and cheating".
The Electoral Commission, an independent body which oversees elections, said it was "aware of the report" suggesting there had been instances of "family voting" when two voters either confer on voting, which breaches the secret ballot.
"We encourage anyone who believes an offence has occurred to report it to the police," it said.
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper, William James, Alistair Smout, Sam Tabahriti and Sarah Young; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Michael Perry and Alison Williams)
Labour lost the seat of Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, which was won by the Green Party's Hannah Spencer.
The Green Party won 40.7% of the vote, Reform UK won 28.7%, and Labour received 25.4%.
Starmer called the result "very disappointing" and said he would fight political "extremes" on the right and left while continuing to pursue the change promised after Labour's 2024 landslide.
John Curtice called it a "seismic moment" and said it meant the future of British politics looks more uncertain than at any stage since the end of World War Two.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
