Andy Burnham Was 'Likely' to Have Secured Gorton and Denton Byelection, States Labour Deputy Leader
The party's second-in-command has indicated that Andy Burnham would have won the recent Manchester byelection, while she called for her party to make more use of the influential Greater Manchester mayor.
An Unexpected Result for the Greens
Overturning a substantial 13,000-vote Labour majority from the last 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 consistently returned Labour MPs for almost one hundred years.
The Reform Party's Matt Goodwin finished second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia.
Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy
The unexpected outcome has sparked renewed questioning of the party's choice to prevent Andy Burnham from standing in the seat last month.
In an interview with the BBC, Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, remarked, "Andy Burnham likely could have held the seat. I think certainly the Greens wouldn't have gone after the seat in the manner that they did."
Powell was the only member of Labour's top decision-making body to support allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against.
Accepting Responsibility
However, she told the BBC she accepted "collective responsibility" for the ruling, citing concern about triggering a mayoral byelection in Greater Manchester.
Powell also emphasized that her party must learn from the reasons for Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as 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 across the country," she added.
What Comes Next
Andy Burnham is reportedly considering having another go at becoming an MP again. One ally said, "With all the chaos and turmoil, who knows what might happen. It would be foolish to say he would never."
To date, Burnham himself has not publicly spoken on the Gorton and Denton outcome. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has vowed to fight on despite calling the poll result "disappointing."
Party Response
Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, described the byelection result "a wake-up call" 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 legislation for stricter border controls next week.
An insider was reported stating, "The Labour government should not learn the wrong lessons from its electoral setback. The idea that we are losing Muslim voters over immigration is just plain wrong."
