Zack Polanski’s Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election, with Reform UK second and Labour third
"People everywhere will now know that voting Green is the way to defeat Reform," said Polanski
By Aaron Sugg
The Green Party has won the Gorton and Denton by-election, with candidate Hannah Spencer taking the seat in a landslide vote ahead of Reform UK and Labour.
Spencer, a plumber from Greater Manchester, received 14,980 votes, compared with 10,578 for Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin and 9,364 for Labour’s Angeliki Stogia.
Today (27 February) marks the Greens’ first ever Westminster by-election win, with Spencer becoming the party’s fifth MP.
“This used to be one of Labour’s safest seats” – Green Party leader Zack Polanski celebrating the win
The seat, previously held by Labour since 2024, was won on a 26.4% swing from Labour to the Greens. It is the sixth largest Labour majority overturned at a by-election since World War II.
Attitude cover star and Green Party leader Zack Polanski celebrated the win. In a statement he said: “This used to be one of Labour’s safest seats. In this by-election almost half of their 2024 voters abandoned them and many switched to voting Green, meaning they finished third.”
Polanski added: “The Green Party saw a record-breaking swing in our direction and more than tripled our vote.”
On Labour candidate Stogia, he said: “Labour fought a shameful, dirty campaign – spreading lies about Green policies and even faking a tactical voting website. They knew they couldn’t win, but they risked splitting the vote and letting Reform in.”
“People everywhere will now know that voting Green is the way to defeat Reform” – Polanski
He vowed that voting for the Greens would be the only way of getting rid of Nigel Farage’s chances to land a spot in Number 10.
“People everywhere will now know that voting Green is the way to defeat Reform,” said Polanski. “Many ex-Labour voters told our canvassers that they will never go back to a party that supports genocide, fuels racism, and has failed to deliver on its promise to improve life for people across the country.”
This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) February 27, 2026
Matt Goodwin was a great candidate for us.
Roll on the elections on May 7th.
It will be goodbye Starmer and goodbye to the Tory party.
However, Reform UK were not happy with the result, so much so, Farage accused the Greens of “cheating”.
Writing on X, he said: “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating. Matt Goodwin was a great candidate for us. Roll on the elections on May 7th. It will be goodbye Starmer and goodbye to the Tory party.”
Marking the milestone, the Greens said: “If we see a similar swing nationwide in the next general election, there will be a tidal wave of Green MPs heading to the House of Commons.”
Spencer MP celebrated the win: “I’m proud to have run a positive, inclusive campaign focused on the issues that matter most to local people: bringing down the cost of rent and bills, protecting the NHS, properly funding our public services, and ending Britain’s complicity in genocide.”
United Kingdom local elections begin 7 May 2026.
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