Green Party’s Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election Victory Explained

The Green Party secured one of the most dramatic by-election victories in recent British political history earlier this year after overturning a huge Labour majority to win the Gorton and Denton seat in Greater Manchester.

The by-election, held on February 26th, 2026, saw Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer elected as MP with 14,980 votes — equivalent to 40.7% of the vote. Reform UK finished second, while Labour fell into third place in a constituency it had previously considered one of its safest strongholds.

Political analysts described the result as “historic”, with the Greens overturning a Labour majority of more than 13,000 votes. It was also the Green Party’s first ever victory in a Westminster by-election and its first MP in the North of England. 

Who Is Hannah Spencer?

Hannah Spencer, a plumber and local Green councillor, became an overnight national political figure following the result. The Greens heavily promoted her local roots and working-class background during the campaign, branding her as “Hannah the plumber”.

Following her victory, Spencer said voters had chosen “hope over hate” and promised to represent residents who felt “left behind and isolated”.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski described the win as evidence that British politics was changing rapidly and claimed the result showed the Greens could now compete seriously outside their traditional southern England support base. 

Turnout was reported at approximately 47.5%, which was only slightly lower than the constituency’s turnout at the 2024 General Election. 

Impact On The Makerfield By-Election

The shock victory in Gorton and Denton has become an important backdrop to the current Makerfield by-election campaign, where the Greens have selected Sarah Wakefield as their latest candidate.

Some Green Party members reportedly argued that the party should reduce its efforts in Makerfield to avoid splitting the anti-Reform vote. Others, however, believe the Gorton and Denton result proves the Greens can win in traditionally Labour-held northern seats if they campaign aggressively.

With Labour’s Andy Burnham now attempting to return to Westminster through Makerfield, the constituency is rapidly becoming one of the most closely watched political contests in the UK.