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When the result dropped soon after, it would be obvious this was an historic moment for the Greens; toppling one of Labour’s largest majorities, and claiming their first parliamentary seat north of Herefordshire by winning the Gorton and Denton byelection. But very early on Friday morning, at the count in the Manchester Central Convention Complex, it would be easy to think nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
Green activists and counting agents inside the hall maintained an air of calm, gradually upping their briefings from cautiously optimistic to quietly confident. But there was little sense within the room that this was the start of a seismic shift in British politics.
Before the counting had officially begun, it was clear the Greens had taken the lead, and that the only real contest would be between Reform and Labour for second place. It soon became apparent that what had been billed as a tight three-way race was anything but.
There were celebrations happening; just elsewhere. At an all-night party at the Niamos Radical Arts and Cultural Centre in Hulme, the mood was jubilant, with Green activists dancing and drinking as the party’s deputy leader, Mothin Ali, crowdsurfed off the stage.
Back at the count, Labour sources were briefing early on that their chances would depend on turnout; and specifically which parts of the constituency had turned out in greater numbers. While byelections tend to have lower turnouts, 47.62% came out; only marginally less than the 47.8% of the electorate who voted in 2024’s general election.
When Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, was elected in neighbouring Manchester Central, the turnout of 18.2% was the lowest since the second world war. But the Farage factor drove turnout here to almost general election levels, with people motivated to vote either for or against his party.
After votes had been verified but before counting had begun, Labour’s activists were unofficially conceding defeat. At the back of the counting hall, Powell, Andrew Western MP, who was the political lead for the byelection, and the party’s press officer sat huddled next to a pile of red clipboards. The party’s own sampling data showed Reform ahead in Denton, and the Greens in the lead across the Manchester part of the constituency.
When Labour’s candidate, Angeliki Stogia, arrived at the count at about 3.30am, she was immediately surrounded by a crowd of supporters, who formed a protective ring around her, with reporters and opposition supporters kept away, and Powell the only Labour figure giving interviews to media.
Reform’s Matt Goodwin arrived at 3.50am and, in a brief huddle, told journalists: “I think that what you’ve seen is the emergence of a dangerous sectarianism in British politics.”
“I think the Greens are riding a very dangerous wave,” he said. “I’m very concerned about the direction of the country, and I think many people are going to be watching this byelection, and they’re going to be feeling the same things that I am, which is deep concern about where Britain is heading.”
“I don’t think the progressives beat us, I think the progressives were told how to vote,” he said, adding that “a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives came together to dominate the constituency.”
Last to arrive, at about 4.10am, was Hannah Spencer. The Green candidate looked slightly shell-shocked, at times seeming almost tearful, at times ecstatic during her victory speech. A loud cheer from her supporters as her 4,402 majority was announced was the first time the Greens in the room were seen to celebrate their landmark victory.
“People in their thousands told me on the doorsteps, and at the ballot box, that what we are sick of is being let down and looked down on, and we are sick of our hard work making other people rich,” Spencer said from the podium.
And in what appeared to be a swipe at her Reform rival, she added: “I can’t and won’t accept this victory tonight without calling out politicians and divisive figures who constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society.”
The plumber, who also qualified as a plasterer two weeks ago, told her customers: “I’m sorry, I might have to cancel the work that you’ve booked in, because I’m heading to parliament.”
With the party leader, Zack Polanski, watching from the front row, reporters then turned to him for comment, but he said: “I just want to give Hannah a hug, actually,” before joining Spencer to pose for selfies and a brief round of media interviews – with the pair then being spirited away to that exuberant all-night party.
