The victory for Hannah Spencer, a plumber before she entered politics, complicates the wider narrative of a surge by nationalist populists backed by the Trump administration.

The loss of the Gorton and Denton by-election triggered a wave of Labour anger as the party sank to third - sparking calls to treat the defeat as a 'wake up call'

The result in a seat that Labour has dominated for nearly a century represents an embarrassing setback for the prime minister.

The Gorton and Denton constituency in Greater Manchester elected Labour lawmakers for almost all of the last century, but Starmer’s government has seen its popularity plunge since it won office in July 2024.

LONDON — Labour MPs know Keir Starmer is unpopular. On Thursday, actual voters will get a chance to show just how deep that discontent runs. A by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton is being billed as a major test for the embattled British prime minister.

The anti-immigration Reform UK, led by the veteran hard-right politician Nigel Farage, holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons — Labour has 404 — but has topped national opinion polls for months, ahead of both Labour and the main opposition Conservative Party.

Andy Burnham would probably have won the Gorton and Denton by-election had he been allowed to stand, Labour's deputy leader has said. Lucy Powell told the BBC's Newscast podcast that Labour needed to make more use of the Greater Manchester mayor,

The by-election was a devastating blow for Sir Keir Starmer as Labour were pushed into a humiliating third place