LONDON: The Green Party of England and Wales secured a landmark victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, overturning Labour’s 13,000-vote majority in a result that comes as a significant setback to Keir Starmer.

Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green councillor, was elected as the party’s first MP in northern England after winning 14,980 votes in a tightly contested race.

Reform UK came second with 10,578 votes, while Labour slumped to third place, finishing 5,616 votes behind the Greens, a dramatic 25.3 per cent drop in its vote share compared with 2024.

Starmer, facing mounting questions over Labour’s campaign strategy, vowed to “keep on fighting” after what party insiders described as a humiliating defeat in a constituency long considered a Labour stronghold.

Multilingual campaign

Central to Spencer’s campaign was an unprecedented multilingual outreach effort aimed at engaging Gorton and Denton’s diverse electorate. The Greens released campaign pamphlets and a video in Urdu, and later in Bangla, highlighting issues such as inflation, unemployment and the housing crisis.

Councillor Hannah Spencer wins on the back of unique campaign which used Urdu and Bangla to spread her message

In the Urdu language video, Spencer is seen visiting local businesses and addressing voters directly in Urdu. Over images of Starmer shaking hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Spencer says: “Politicians aren’t working for us.”

The references were widely interpreted as an attempt to appeal to Muslim voters, who make up 28.4pc of the constituency, while 26.6pc of residents identify as Asian. Although there is no official breakdown of Urdu speakers in the constituency, it is considered one of the more diverse areas in England.

Spencer defended the strategy, saying it reflected the constituency’s linguistic diversity.

“Gorton and Denton is a beautifully diverse constituency, with thousands of residents who speak languages other than English,” she said.

“I’m proud of our campaign, and of this video, which has been positive, inclusive and focused on the issues that matter most to local people: bringing down rents and bills, proper investment in public services, and rebuilding our NHS.”

Rivals cry foul

The multilingual materials triggered sharp criticism from Labour and Reform UK.

Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell accused the Greens of a “shameful attempt to manipulate the respected Muslim community,” while a senior Cabinet minister told The Times that the party was “deliberately raising the salience of Gaza” to erode Labour’s support.

Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin described the Urdu language video as “blatant sectarianism,” and Reform MP Sarah Pochin released a video condemning the move.

The Greens rejected the accusations and doubled down by issuing a similar campaign advert in Bangla, the national language of Bangladesh. Spencer accused Labour of resorting to “racist dog whistles” and insisted that providing materials in languages other than English was about inclusion, not division.

“I will be an MP for the whole of Gorton and Denton,” she said, “and I’m proud that we’re demonstrating that by speaking to constituents in the languages they speak.”

Landmark win

The by-election result marks one of the most significant Green breakthroughs outside London and Brighton, raising questions about Labour’s grip on urban, ethnically diverse constituencies.

For Starmer, who had pledged to rebuild Labour’s electoral coalition, the loss is a stark warning that disaffection among key voter groups could reshape the political landscape ahead of the next general election.

For the Greens, meanwhile, the victory signals a new phase of ambition and a willingness to adopt bold and targeted campaigning in pursuit of it.

Columnist Taj Ali, writing for Hyphen noted that the Green victory in Gorton and Denton proves working-class and Muslim voters have options.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2026