Starmer calls byelection consequence ‘very disappointing’, however claims mid-term defeats like this commonplace
Keir Starmer has completed a pooled clip for broadcasters concerning the Gorton and Denton byelection consequence. In his opening assertion he stated:
It’s a really disappointing consequence.
Incumbent governments very often get outcomes like that mid-term.
However I do perceive that voters are annoyed. They’re impatient for change.
And I got here into politics – late in life because it occurs – to struggle for change for these individuals who want it, the individuals who want an NHS that works for them, to have the ability to get a physician’s appointment once they want it, to get the cash they want of their pockets to pay their payments, and to have an honest and higher life.
I’ll carry on combating for these individuals for so long as I’ve received breath in my physique.
I may even struggle towards the extremes in politics on the fitting and the left, events who need to tear our nation aside.
The Labour occasion is the one occasion that may unite our nation and our communities, and we are going to line up collectively in that struggle towards the extremes of the left and the fitting.
Key occasions
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Cleverly calls for inquiry into voter fraud
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How Gorton and Denton compares with other byelections – in three charts
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Reform UK says it is reporting ‘family voting’ allegations to police and Electoral Commission
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Labour faces struggle to win second place in Holyrood elections, poll suggests
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Greens claim they could win more than 100 seats at next election on basis of Gorton and Denton-type swing
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Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan suggests Starmer should go because he’s ‘block to us winning’
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Farage claims Green party win in Gorton and Denton evidence of ‘resurgent hard left’
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Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander says byelection result shows Labour needs to go ‘further and faster’ delivering change
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Hannah Spencer – who she is, and full text of her victory speech
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Guardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink?
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Did Starmer get the message? – snap verdict on PM’s response to byelection defeat
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Starmer describes Greens as ‘the extreme of the left’ in response to byelection defeat
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Leishman says byelection result shows Anas Sarwar right to say Starmer should quit
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Starmer calls byelection result ‘very disappointing’, but claims mid-term defeats like this not unusual
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Polanski says, even with Andy Burnham as Labour’s candidate, Greens could have won
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Polanski claims Greens have more members than Labour if Scotland included
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Polanski accuses Starmer of trivialising serious issue with drugs policy attacks, saying public ‘more mature’ on this
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Hannah Spencer says voters in Gorton and Denton have ‘rejected hate’ and embraced hope
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Zack Polanski and Hannah Spencer hold press conference
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Labour MP Brian Leishman calls for Starmer to resign
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Rayner says byelection defeat shows Labour needs to be ‘braver’
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SNP claims Labour now facing ‘historic defeat’ in Scotland
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Labour MP Jon Trickett says Starmer should ‘reflect on his position’ following byelection defeat
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Plaid Cymru welcomes Gorton and Denton byelection result as evidence ‘old guard’ parties are ‘slipping away’
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Heidi Alexander says Britons don’t want Polanski as PM, and Green policies won’t ‘survive contact with national electorate’
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Heidi Alexander says it’s ‘offensive’ for Unite boss Sharon Graham to claim ministers obsessed with their ‘rich mates’
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Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham tells Starmer to stop listening to ‘rich mates’ and govern as ‘real Labour’
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‘We’re working to line pockets of billionaires’ – Hannah Spencer’s victory speech
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Reform UK chair David Bull says his party accepts legitimacy of byelection result – after Farage earlier alleged ‘cheating’
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Heidi Alexander urges Labour not to ‘over-interpret result’ and says party can recover from this defeat
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Polanski rejects claim Greens were being sectarian in using picture of Starmer with Modi in byelection leaflet
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Polanski says Gorton and Denton win shows there are now ‘no no-go areas’ for Greens
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Labour MP says result ‘catastrophic’ and Starmer should revert to Corbynite agenda that won him party leadership
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Labour has ‘fallen into electoral Valley of Death’ – what polling experts are saying about Gorton and Denton result
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Labour MP Richard Burgon says ‘Starmer and his clique’ to blame for Labour’s defeat
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Greens dismiss Farage’s response to Spencer’s win as Trump-style attempt to undermine democratic result
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Labour ‘failing on every count’ under Starmer, says Unison leader Andrea Egan in call for party to shift left
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Labour had 13th highest fall in support in byelection, says John Curtice, and Tories had worst ever byelection result
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Losing Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin claims result evidence of ‘dangerous Muslim sectarianism’ in UK
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Polanski says many ex-Labour voters will never return to Starmer’s party, and Greens best party to defeat Reform
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Full results in Gorton and Denton byelection
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Labour says result ‘clearly disappointing’
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Lucy Powell backs Starmer to stay as PM and Labour leader, saying he’s ‘right person’ for job
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Farage claims Green party win was ‘victory for sectarian voting and cheating’
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Hannah Spencer hits out at Reform UK with attack on ‘divisive’ figures who scapegoat Muslims
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Tories claim result shows ‘Starmer has killed Labour party’
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Green party’s Hannah Spencer wins byelection
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Powell appears to concede Labour defeat
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Welcome
Severin Carrell
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour chief, has claimed that first minister John Swinney is “banking on cynicism and exhaustion to tug him over the road” in Might’s Holyrood election as he tried to change consideration from Labour’s humiliating by election defeat in Denton and Gorton.
Sarwar informed Labour activists, MPs and MSPs gathered at a sooner or later pre-election convention in Paisley the Holyrood election in 10 weeks was solely a contest between himself and Swinney about who could possibly be first minister.
In his solely allusion to that byelection defeat, Sarwar stated Might’s vote shouldn’t be a protest vote on Keir Starmer’s ailing UK authorities however a contest about changing the Scottish Nationwide occasion’s authorities and its “moaning” chief, John Swinney.
He stated:
This election issues as a result of for me, Scotland issues. This isn’t a protest. It isn’t a free hit. It isn’t about Westminster or about pollsters or commentator chatter
It’s about who runs Scotland and what they’ll do with that immense honour of serving Scotland’s individuals. John Swinney is banking on cynicism and exhaustion to tug him over the road.
He’s hoping persons are so worn down that his shameful document is ignored. However this election isn’t about protest or about sending a message.
He stated it was about fixing NHS ready lists; housing homeless kids; policing unsafe streets; bettering training by, partially, banning in mobiles in faculties. “So, to those that declare to face up for Scotland but additionally say this election is about someplace else or another person, I say disgrace on you.”
Regardless of his declare the election was a straight struggle between the Scottish Nationwide occasion and Labour, a brand new ballot from the publicly-funded Scottish Election Research, run by lecturers at Edinburgh college, discovered that Scottish Labour was in fourth place and combating an uphill battle towards the Scottish Greens in third and Reform UK in second place.
Labour strategists imagine the SNP’s static polling place – seemingly mounted at round 35% of the voters and its very poor rankings on public service supply – present it stays weak.
Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, stated he remained assured Labour might overcome these ballot rankings over the subsequent 10 weeks. He claimed Labour had defied poor polls prior to now:
He stated:
If there was one other lesson that you would draw from final night time, it isn’t solely that voters are annoyed, however that this voters is unstable. And in that sense, I believe it will be a misjudgement and complacent on the a part of the SNP to suppose that they’ve this election within the bag, when finally the selection will relaxation with the Scottish individuals as as to whether that is about making a protest or altering the federal government in energy.
Cleverly requires inquiry into voter fraud
The shadow native authorities minister, James Cleverly, has written to the Electoral Fee requesting a totally inquiry into stories of breaches of electoral regulation in Gorton and Denton.
In his letter, which was shared on social media, he stated: “There may be clear proof that electoral offences had been dedicated, and a blind eye was turned to corruption and legal exercise.”
He continued: “Any cultural practices of husbands being allowed to instruct their wives methods to vote is an insult to the hard-fought liberty of feminine suffrage. The rights of all British voters — throughout class, color and creed — should be defended.”
He follows within the footsteps of Farage, who said earlier that Reform UK has referred the “household voting” claims within the Gorton and Denton byelection to the police and the Elecoral Fee.
Some photographs from Guardian photographer Christopher Thomond in Gorton
Labour MP Clive Lewis has referred to as for a “clear break” for the occasion after the Gorton and Denton byelection, describing the defeat as “a punch within the face”.
The Norwich South MP, a distinguished left-wing critic of the present management, stated:
The byelection result’s a punch within the face for the Labour Celebration and for Keir Starmer’s premiership.
This authorities has burned its base, alienated its core vote, sidelined its activists and caught two fingers as much as the very individuals we got here into politics to signify – and we’re stunned voters are strolling away?
Altering the chief with out altering the politics could be a waste of time.
The issue isn’t presentation. It’s route. We promised change and delivered continuity. We speak robust however govern timid. We defend vested pursuits once we needs to be taking them on.
Reform is rising as a result of thousands and thousands really feel ignored and brought as a right. If we don’t provide actual change, they’ll channel their anger elsewhere, as they’ve this week in Denton and Gorton.
Stopping Reform now needs to be the precedence. However Labour can’t try this from a place of conceitedness or denial. We might want to work with different progressive events.
Meaning co-operation. It means democratic reform. It means accepting we don’t personal the centre-left vote.
None of that occurs except Labour modifications basically. Not tweaks. Not reshuffles. A clear break.
If we stock on like this, we gained’t simply lose byelections. We’ll lose the nation for a era.
How Gorton and Denton compares with different byelections – in three charts
Andrew Sparrow
Listed below are three charts that specify how the Gorton and Denton byelection outcomes compares to earlier byelections from the evaluation produced by Extra in Widespread.
1) How Labour’s vote collapse compares with different byelections since 2016
Extra in Widespread says:
Whereas within the years previous the 2024 normal election, Labour had been on a run of extraordinarily profitable byelection campaigns, their two most up-to-date byelection losses present the size of Labour’s problem on either side – shedding 14 per cent of the vote to Reform in Runcorn and now 25 per cent of the vote to the Greens in Gorton and Denton.
2) How Labour’s vote loss compares with historic Labour byelection defeats
Extra in Widespread says this was one in all Labour’s largest ever byelection losses.
3) How Reform UK’s consequence compares with earlier Brexit occasion/Reform UK byelection outcomes
Extra in Widespread says:
Whereas the lead to Gorton and Denton was disproportionately good for the Greens, Reform UK principally carried out consistent with expectations. The swing they expertise in Gorton and Denton roughly matches the swing they’re experiencing in every single place else across the nation, in comparison with the Greens who considerably outperformed their nationwide polling.
That’s all from me for immediately. Taz Ali is now taking up.
Reform UK says it’s reporting ‘household voting’ allegations to police and Electoral Fee
Reform UK has introduced that it has referred the “household voting” claims within the Gorton and Denton byelection to the police and the Elecoral Fee.
In an announcement, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK chief, stated:
Reform has immediately reported the various instances of ‘household voting’ to the electoral fee and the police.
What was witnessed yesterday is deeply regarding and raises severe questions concerning the integrity of the democratic course of in predominantly Muslim areas.
If that is what was taking place at polling stations simply think about the potential for coercion with postal votes.
If motion isn’t taken now, then we are going to guarantee it’s after the subsequent normal election.
The “household voting” claims had been made by Democracy Volunteers, a gaggle that screens elections. Their assertion is here.
Requested concerning the claims, Manchester metropolis council stated no points had been reported and stated it was “extraordinarily disappointing” that Democracy Volunteers waited till after the shut of polls to make the claims.
That is from James Ball, political editor of the New World (beforehand the New European), on the sectarian voting claims.
The present argument of the British proper is that Muslims turned out in “blocs” with “household voting” to solid their ballots for a celebration led by a homosexual Jewish man, and this exhibits that multiculturalism has failed, voting is “sectarian” and we’re in a disaster.
Hmmmmmm.
Labour faces battle to win second place in Holyrood elections, ballot suggests
Severin Carrell is the Guardian’s Scotland editor.
Scottish Labour now faces a really tight electoral battle for second place towards the Scottish Greens and Reform UK in Might’s Holyrood election, a widely-respected educational ballot has discovered.
The ballot of 1,517 Scottish voters from the publicly-funded Scottish Election Research has discovered the Scottish Greens have pushed Labour into fourth place for the primary time.
Its Scoop ballot, carried out by YouGov, put the Scottish Nationwide occasion on 34% within the constituency vote, Reform UK in second place at 18% and the Scottish Greens on 16%, with Labour trailing in fourth on 14%.
If that discovering is repeated on 7 Might, will probably be the SNP’s worst consequence since 2007 however nonetheless hand them a fifth successive time period in workplace as a result of the opposition vote has been cut up by Reform UK.
Whereas the Reform, Inexperienced and Labour numbers are very shut and round a pollster’s margin of error, these knowledge observe Labour’s shock defeat by the Green party of England and Wales within the Gorton and Denton byelection, the place it got here third behind Reform UK.
The Scottish Election Research workforce of Prof Ailsa Henderson and Dr Fraser McMillan, each on the College of Edinburgh, stated these findings had been more likely to hand pro-independence events a majority at Holyrood on 7 Might.
Even so, their ballot discovered an eight-point lead for no after don’t is aware of had been excluded, with assist for independence at 46% and the no vote at 54%.
John Swinney, the SNP chief and first minister, has stated an total majority for the SNP would set off a requirement for a second independence referendum however has not but claimed a broader sure majority would accomplish that.
Henderson and McMillan stated:
Regardless of low satisfaction with the SNP’s efficiency in authorities, with simply 23% of respondents indicating that the occasion was doing a ‘good job’ in workplace in comparison with 40% within the first Scoop survey in December 2021, the nationalists’ continued power amongst pro-independence Scots on the constituency poll means they’re well-placed to compete for many of the nation’s 73 first-past-the-post seats in Might.
This, mixed with the Scottish Greens’ growing power on the listing and retreat from contesting most constituency seats, means voters might as soon as once more return a snug pro-independence majority regardless of sure persevering with to lag no in a hypothetical second referendum (54% no versus 46% sure when undecideds and different non-response are eliminated).
Greens declare they might win greater than 100 seats at subsequent election on foundation of Gorton and Denton-type swing
The Inexperienced occasion is claiming that it might win greater than 100 seats on the subsequent election on the idea of the swing it achieved in Gorton and Denton.
In follow, events hardly ever replicate their finest byelection outcomes at normal elections.
However Extra in Widespread, a polling firm and campaigning organisation, has produced an evaluation immediately displaying how Gorton and Denton in contrast with different Inexperienced byelection outcomes.
Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan suggests Starmer ought to go as a result of he is ‘block to us profitable’
The Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan has recommended that Keir Starmer must be changed because the occasion’s chief.
Chatting with Instances Radio, he stated:
If Keir Starmer is seen as a block whenever you exit and knock on doorways – if individuals say to you, they’ll vote Labour, however they gained’t vote Labour if he’s the chief – then he’s the block to us profitable. And from a purely pragmatic, electoral strategic view, it’s important to take away that block …
Now, I’m not saying you try this this morning. I’m saying that we should be severe about profitable once more. And, if there’s a block to profitable once more, then we have to take a look at how we take away that block.
Duncan-Jordan was one in all 4 Labour MPs suspended by the occasion final 12 months for a number of months for persistent disloyalty. One of many others was Brian Leishman and immediately Leishman has been calling for Starmer to go far more instantly. (See 10.16am and 11.23am.)
