Labour "safe seat" taken by Greens' Hannah Spencer in stunning result that brings back hope

Feb 27, 2026

The Green Party swept to victory in yesterday’s by-election, claiming what used to be one of Labour’s safest seats. Gorton and Denton is a constituency where Labour romped home with over 50% of the vote in 2024, boasting a 13,000 majority, but this result shows there are no safe seats. The Green candidate, 34-year-old plumber Hannah Spencer, pulled in around 41% of the vote, leaving Reform and Labour trailing way behind. Hilariously, the Tories performed so badly they lost their deposit, scraping a pathetic 706 votes.

The exciting thing is this result is unlikely to be a one-off. Hannah said this seat was ranked just 127th by the Greens in terms of winnability—based on their internal targeting models—and they won easily. It’s hard to overstate what a political earthquake this represents: the swing ranks as the sixth-biggest against Labour in a by-election since World War II. If that form could be translated to a general election, it’s not unthinkable the Greens could take way more than 127 seats. It sounds crazy, but look at how the Greens jumped from around 13% in 2024 to 41% here.

One of the biggest factors, aside from an outstanding candidate and an outstanding leader is that the Greens now have an outstanding ground game. Remember when Starmer said if we don’t like his changes, we can leave? Well, many of Labour’s best campaigners did just that—thousands of disillusioned activists defected to the Greens, bringing their door-knocking skills with them. It’s no exaggeration to say those ex-Labour foot soldiers could be worth an extra ten points. This could explain why the Greens went from around 28% in the polls to 41% on the day—they didn’t rely on social media bots; they built real connections through conversations on doorsteps.

Although I’ve been supportive of both the Greens and Your Party, I’ve not got fully behind either because I’ve been so jaded by electoral politics. It all felt so hopeless, like we’re stuck in a slow and painful “managed decline”, so it is nice to write with hope again. Yes, I know electoral politics won’t get us out of this mess alone, but we should be striving to get as many good people into Westminster as possible.

Politics has been so negative for the longest time, grinding us down with endless division, pitting us against immigrants, against welfare, against each other. But finally, we have something to be for, rather than against. And that something starts with Hannah Spencer who is like a breath of fresh air. She is a plumber who actually qualified as a plasterer during the campaign—imagine that, an ordinary worker standing in parliament. Isn’t that what the Labour Party used to be for?

Just when I thought Hannah couldn’t be more likeable, I heard she rescues greyhounds—four of them live with her, and they’ve been spotted out campaigning. She comes across as weirdly normal, but in the best way. I say “weirdly” because there aren’t many normal people in politics these days.

Hannah is so relatable because she lives in the real world and fixes leaks in people’s homes for a living. She genuinely seems to be in politics for the right reasons: to make life better for ordinary people, by fighting for affordable housing, green jobs, and community solidarity. Contrast that with the alternatives and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that she won big.

Labour’s candidate, Angeliki Stogia, was a corporate lobbyist who pushed for privatisation—she represents the kind of insider politics that has alienated working-class voters. Reform’s Matt Goodwin is linked to far-right groups that flirt with neo-Nazi shit wrapped in populist rhetoric. In a constituency of working-class communities tired of being ventriloquised, Hannah offered hope rather than division.

After a sleepless night, I held back tears as I watched Hannah make her victory speech this morning. She spoke with warmth and sincerity, but lacked the sheen of a career politician, clutching her notes so she didn’t forget her words. Her speech was imperfect on one level and yet it was exactly what we needed to hear.

“Talk to anyone here and they will tell you: life has changed. Instead of working for a nice life, we’re working to line the pockets of billionaires. We are being bled dry. The people who work hard but can’t put food on the table, can’t get their kids’ school uniforms, can’t heat their homes properly – they feel left behind and isolated.
“We don’t have to accept being turned against each other at all. 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. Whatever our beliefs, our backgrounds, our colour, or our level of education, we stick up for each other.”

It’s so rare to hear a politician talk about the things politicians should be talking about, like how the current system is not meeting our material needs, and we used to have things that we are now told are impossible, and we are not prepared to accept that. Contrast Hannah’s message to Labour’s woeful campaign which resorted to outrageous smears, accusing the Greens of wanting children to take drugs and be prostituted. I wish I was joking.

Labour and Reform could only offer lies, but Hannah offered humanity and… gasp… policies. Remember when politicians were expected to have actual policies? Well, it seems we’re finally bringing those back. Crazy, I know.

Hannah spoke of climate justice as you would expect, but she also spoke of fixing housing and public services and reducing bills, and she even managed to oppose genocide while she was at it. All of this is basic stuff, but it’s seemingly beyond the “cleverest” politicians who wear expensive suits. This is why electing normal people matters.

Adorably, Hannah apologised to her plumbing customers, saying, “I might have to cancel the work you’ve booked in, because I’m heading to Parliament.” She promised to make space for grafters like her at the table, and called out the divisive figures who blame our neighbours for society’s problems.

While Matt Goodwin blamed the “Muslim vote” for his defeat, whining about a “coalition of Islamists and woke progressives,” Hannah stood proudly with her Muslim friends and neighbours, declaring they’re “just like me: human.”

Reform leader Nigel Farage took defeat badly, baselessly accusing the Greens of cheating, with Reform reporting vague “family voting” allegations to police. Keir Starmer was no better, suggesting anyone who didn’t vote Labour is an extremist and showing he has learned absolutely nothing.

Starmer can’t change because his donors would rather destroy Labour than concede ground to the left—they would be happy with a Reform government or a return to the Tories. The establishment has three parties now, but all three have just been thoroughly rejected.

Perhaps the most heartening thing about this result is that voters are finally learning. They’re learning they don’t have to vote Labour or Tory just because that’s what they’ve always done. They’re learning they don’t have to listen to the media. They’re learning that they should be voting for representation. It feels like an awakening is happening. I just hope it isn’t another false dawn.

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