Feb 27, 2026, 10:43Feb 27, 2026, 10:43
Just a few weeks after a serious government crisis, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has to accept the next setback.
In a by-election for a seat in the British Parliament in the Gorton and Denton constituency in England, the ruling Labor party had to admit defeat to the Greens and only ended up in third place behind the right-wing populists Reform UK.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Image: keystone
This means that the party loses a seat in the lower house, which the Green politician Hannah Spencer now gets. According to the BBC, Labor had not lost in this Greater Manchester region since 1931. The British media is already sensing the next crisis for Labor politician Starmer, whose office recently seemed to be hanging by a thread.
Starmer recently came under pressure over the appointment of former minister and Epstein confidant Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. He had to admit that he knew about the friendship between Mandelson and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in custody in 2019, when he appointed Mandelson as ambassador. Mandelson had to vacate this post months later. It was only at the beginning of the week that Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Starmer challenger’s candidacy blocked
It was only at the end of January that Labor blocked the candidacy of a possible internal party challenger to Starmer for the constituency. The mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, would have needed the approval of the governing body to stand in the by-election, but this was refused to him. Burnham is considered the most promising potential challenger to Starmer, but would first have to make it into the House of Commons.
The Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham.Image: keystone
Starmer initially did not react to his party’s defeat. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander spoke on Times Radio of a “difficult and disappointing night”. Nevertheless, one should not “over-interpret” the results of the by-election, said the minister. The Labor Party could also recover from this setback. (sda/dpa)
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