Labour's deputy leader has indicated that Andy Burnham could have triumphed in the recent Manchester byelection, as she called for her party to make more use of the popular Greater Manchester mayor.
An Unexpected Result for the Green Party
Overturning a sizable 13,000-vote Labour majority from the previous general election, a local Green councillor, a community tradesperson, became the party's fifth MP on Friday. This occurred in an area that had elected Labour MPs for nearly a century.
Reform UK's Matt Goodwin placed second, narrowly beating the official Labour contender, Angeliki Stogia.
Renewed Scrutiny Over Blocked Candidacy
The unexpected outcome has prompted fresh debate of the party's choice to block Andy Burnham from contesting the seat last month.
Speaking to 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 sole member of Labour's top decision-making body to vote in favour of allowing Burnham to stand, with eight others, including leader Keir Starmer, voting against.
Collective Decision
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 stressed that her party needed to learn from the sources of Burnham's widespread popularity in the region. She said people "view him as someone who is fighting for them, someone who is implementing those Labour values and party pledges."
"We have to draw on that, make use of Andy Burnham, but also draw on that and reflect on how we could replicate that success across the country," she added.
What Comes Next
Andy Burnham is understood not to have ruled out another attempt at returning to parliament. One ally commented, "Given the current political climate, 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 "disheartening."
Party Response
Angela Rayner, a prominent voice on Labour's left, called the byelection result "a wake-up call" for the party.
Meanwhile, the Home Secretary is set to warn against the party moving to the left in response to the defeat. This comes as she introduces legislation for tougher immigration measures next week.
A source close to the Home Secretary 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 simply incorrect."
