Leaders react to Gorton and Denton by-election and results in full

It was a historic win for the Green Party.

The vote saw the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer win the by-election by more than 4,000 votes, with Reform’s Matt Goodwin finishing in second whilst Labour, who had previously held the seat with a 13,000 vote majority, finished a disappointing third.

Not many expected the Greens to win with such clear daylight, following on from heavy campaigning from the three biggest runners, as well as polls claiming the by-election was too tight to call.

The win is the first ever Westminster by-election victory for the Greens and means Spencer becomes their fifth MP in the House of Commons.

The reaction

Politicians and political experts across the country have reacted, with political scientist Sir John Curtice writing for the BBC that the win for the Greens means "the future of British politics is now even more uncertain than it was already."

Green Party leader Zack Polanski told the BBC that the win was an "absolutely huge swing" for the Greens.

He said: "I think it's undoubtedly a moment in British politics that has the potential to transform the faith of British politics."

Speaking about Reform, Polanski said he would've been "really worried" if the party had won, branding their candidate Matt Goodwin "extreme".

On Labour, he said the governing party lost the seat for reasons that are "quite obvious", claiming the public are have been "disappointed" since the 2024 election.

Winning candidate, Hannah Spencer, who is a plumber by trade, joked after her win: "To my customers: I am sorry, but I think I might have to cancel the work that you had booked in. Because I'm heading for Parliament."

In her speech she said: "I didn't grow up wanting to be a politician. I'm a plumber.

"And two weeks ago, during all this, I also qualified as a plasterer.

"Because even in chaos, even under pressure, I get things done.

"I am no different to every single person here in this constituency. I work hard. That is what we do.

"Except things have changed a lot over the last few decades. Because working hard used to get you something.

"It got you a house, a nice life, holidays. It got you somewhere, but now? Working hard? What does that get you?

"Because life has changed, instead of working for a nice life, we're working to line the pockets of billionaires.

"We are being bled dry.

"And I don't think it's extreme or radical to think working hard should get you a nice life."

She added: "So when it came to fighting for people here, to stand in this election, well, how could I not fight? Because here, this is what we do.

"We fight for each other in this very diverse constituency, where our struggles might not always be the same, but where we know how hard life can be and we stick together."

Meanwhile, Reform's candidate, Matt Goodwin, said his party has "embarrassed Labour" and claimed the Greens were riding a "dangerous wave".

He said: "Sixth safest Labour seat. And I think if we can do this here, we can do this pretty much anywhere."

He added: "I'm very concerned about the direction of the country. And I think many people are going to be watching this by-election, and they're going to be feeling the same thing that I am, which is deep concern about where Britain is heading."

Meanwhile Reform leader Nigel Farage claimed that cheating had taken place, posting on X: "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."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is yet to comment on the by-election result.

The numbers

The Greens won with 14,980 votes, an over 200% increase from the general election while Reform managed 10,578, a 105% increase.

Labour were the biggest losers, receiving 9,364 votes, a drop off of just over 9,000 votes from the general election.

The Conservatives also saw continuing losses, with just 706 votes and a 75% decrease, although it was not a seat they were heavily targeting.

The Lib Dems got 653 votes.

The turnout was 47.62%.