Labour have learned nothing from Gorton and Denton

Gorton and Denton had been a Labour fortress for a hundred years. In one form or another, the party held it for a century – until 2026, when the Green Party stormed in with a 27% swing. The victory marked their first ever Westminster by-election win and their first MP in the North of England in the form of Hannah Spencer. And, analysis shows that Labour lost the white working class vote to the Greens.

Now, a postmortem of the election analysis has Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, experiencing an epiphany: voters need a reason to vote Labour.

Labour sniffing out clues

The Guardian reported that, according to the party’s own internal analysis, Labour lost significant numbers of white working-class voters to the Greens. Not Reform.

Powell told activists in a call that:

There’s no doubt that we suffered from a large protest, with voters telling us to do better, be stronger about our purpose and values, and deliver the change we promised faster and more clearly,” she said. “We have ceded the political megaphone and it’s up to us to strongly and proudly get that back.

And, she said voters need a “reason” to vote Labour again.

Powell’s diagnosis? People either voted tactically to stop Reform, or they voted in protest to give Labour a kicking. Her fix? Talk more about free childcare, workers’ rights, and renters’ protections.

Activists might wonder how one can boast about Labour’s record on any of those, but Powell won’t do much reflecting. She will probably not point out that this might also be an outcome of her boss, Starmer’s, wide-reaching purge of progressives in Labour.

Burying their head in the sand

In fact, the Guardian reported she chided the:

hot-takes on what happened in the byelection, from many who weren’t even there.

Translation: don’t listen to the critics.

The Guardian report further noted that senior party figures have said in recent weeks Labour needs a thorough overhaul of its strategy, especially in long-held safe seats where the data is rarely updated. The reasoning? The current volatility of UK politics and the high numbers of voters switching parties, and previously non-voters turning out, especially for Reform UK.

Notice the framing: Reform. Always Reform.

Even after losing white working-class voters to the Greens, Labour’s strategists can’t stop staring at the right. The party that actually took the seat—the Greens—barely gets a mention. There’s a hot take for you, Lucy.

Featured image via the Canary