"A by-election in the north-west of England was seen as the ideal opening for him - only for the prime minister to lean on the bureaucratic strictures of the Labour Party to squash Burnham's ambition of running for Labour in Gorton and Denton."
"Of course, as with any by-election, they don't change the arithmetic much at Westminster - each are just one seat out of 650. But they do change the mood and the political weather."
"If Labour manage to win, even if only by a smidgen, it will be a huge psychological boost for Sir Keir Starmer after a particularly rough start to 2026 for him. He would be able to point to his party's ability to see off Reform and the Greens, and win in Greater Manchester without the man called the 'King of the North', Andy Burnham, as their candidate."
The Gorton and Denton by-election follows months of political drama surrounding Andy Burnham's potential return to Westminster. The Prime Minister blocked Burnham's Labour candidacy, preventing the Mayor of Greater Manchester from running in this north-west seat. This by-election is the second since the general election, following Reform's narrow victory in Runcorn and Helsby, which marked the tenth consecutive Westminster by-election where a different party won the seat. Analysts predict a tight three-way contest between Labour, Reform, and the Greens. While by-elections minimally affect Westminster arithmetic, they significantly influence political mood and momentum. A Labour victory would boost Keir Starmer's standing and demonstrate the party's ability to defeat Reform without Burnham. A Reform win would reinforce their political momentum, while a loss would suggest limitations to their electoral strength.
Read at www.bbc.com
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