US EditionStarmer Visits Gorton and Denton to Urge Unity Against Reform Ahead of By-Election
Starmer framed the by-election as a contest between Labour unity and Reform division, warning that a Green vote risks enabling Reform to win, with 6,000 children set to benefit from Labour policies.
- On February 23, 2026, Sir Keir Starmer made a surprise visit to Rushford Park in Longsight, campaigning with Angeliki Stogia and Lucy Powell and meeting Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
- Labour Party won the seat in 2024 with a 13,413 majority, but the Gorton and Denton constituency now faces a double threat from Reform UK and the Green Party.
- Issuing a warning, Sir Keir Starmer said, `In this by-election a vote for the Green Party is, in effect, a vote for Reform` and criticised the Greens' drugs policy while condemning Reform UK’s divisive tactics.
- Given a narrow previous loss, the implication is that a precedent exists: Reform won last year's Runcorn and Helsby by-election with six votes, and polls suggest Labour could trail behind Reform UK.
- Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, controversially traveled to the Chagos Islands while Richard Tice, Reform deputy leader, campaigned five hours with Matt Goodwin, and Zack Polanski returns Tuesday.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Keir Starmer to face crunch local by-election test in just hours amid Gorton showdown
A bumper pair of by-elections will be taking place this week as Labour, Reform, the Lib Dems and Greens face off in front of voters. The vast majority of the headlines will be dedicated to the Gorton & Denton parliamentary by-election, which was called after the resignation of Andrew Gwynne. However, over 220 miles away on the south coast, voters will be going to the polls in Southampton for a by-election in the Shirley ward on the Hampshire cit…
Starmer's secret meeting to bury the hatchet with leadership rival
Sir Keir Starmer used a trip to Manchester on Monday to meet his Labour leadership rival Andy Burnham for the first time since the Prime Minister blocked the Mayor from standing in a by-election. Labour sources indicated the pair agreed on the need for unity against Reform UK, but there were no images of the encounter, as the two men met without advisers behind closed doors in Burnham’s Manchester office. Nonetheless, the meeting took place over…
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