Good morning. In Gorton and Denton, on the outskirts of Manchester, folks have began voting in some of the eagerly awaited, and fiercely contested, byelections of current years. All of the polling suggests the result will be very close. The political scientists argue that, if a celebration wins a contest like this by just some hundred votes (or maybe ever fewer – Reform UK gained the Runcorn and Helsby byelection final 12 months by just six votes), it’s irrational to attract broad conclusions concerning the state of UK politics over a outcome that would simply have gone the opposite manner had it not been for just a few random incidents (like activists not closing the door in a cafe). However politics isn’t rational; a win will agency up a story that can form the best way the principle events do politics within the months forward. (And, whoever wins, the outcome will affirm that we now have multi-party politics making an attempt to function in an electoral system constructed for two-party politics, which is sort of completely different.)
Right here is Josh Halliday’s preview.
The polling stations opened at 7am. Unusually, the leaders of the three events which may win have all issued private messages to the voters. Keir Starmer, the PM and Labour chief, and Zack Polanski, the Inexperienced chief, are each claiming they’re greatest positioned to beat Reform UK.
Starmer stated:
The selection at at present’s by-election couldn’t be extra stark. Unity or division. Driving down the price of residing with Labour or driving a wedge between communities underneath Reform. Transferring forwards collectively, or opening up anger and division that holds our nation again.
Reform’s Matthew Goodwin thinks individuals who aren’t white can’t be English and desires ladies who select to not have kids to pay extra tax. Vote Labour in Gorton and Denton at present to ship him and his poisonous politics packing.
Solely Labour’s Angeliki Stogia can unite communities in Manchester and Tameside and cease Reform. A vote for the Greens or some other occasion simply dangers letting Goodwin in by the again door.
And Polanksi says:
Labour know they’re in third place. But within the final 48 hours have gone so far as obsessively attacking the Inexperienced Occasion and even making a pretend tactical voting web site to unfold misinformation.
If you cannot vote at present – then be a part of us as a substitute!https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 26, 2026
And, in his assertion, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK chief, stated:
Our message on election day is evident.
The prime minister is panicking and is aware of he has damaged his guarantees to the British folks.
Vote Reform to ditch Starmer.
Right here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Lisa Nandy, the tradition secretary, takes questions within the Commons.
9.30am: The Residence Workplace publishes its newest asylum and resettlement figures.
9.30am: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Native Authorities publishes homelessness figures.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on an education-related go to within the north of England.
11am: Your Occasion broadcasts the outcomes of the elections to its management crew, its central government committee. As Alexandra Topping reports, there was a bitter contest between the Jeremy Corbyn faction and the Zara Sultana faction.
11.30am: Downing Avenue holds a foyer briefing.
Midday: John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions from MSPs.
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