Here’s everything you need to know about the battle for Gorton and Denton.
Why it matters
Gorton and Denton is the prime minister’s biggest electoral test since last May, when Nigel Farage’s Reform UK snatched Runcorn and Helsby (also in north west England) off Labour by just six votes. On the same night, Reform also stormed into the lead in local elections across England.
In recent weeks, Starmer has lost key personnel, survived a call from Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar to resign, and has faced major questions over the short-lived appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador in Washington, despite Mandelson’s friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Less than two years after a landslide general victory, his party is languishing in the polls.
To make it more dicey, this race also has a direct link to Starmer’s judgement: Last month, Labour top brass moved to block a potential Starmer rival, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, from running as the party’s candidate.
A Burnham victory would have given him a seat in parliament from which to directly challenge Starmer if the time came. Starmer argued that letting Burnham run would be a distraction from his day job in Manchester and divert party resources.
But Burnham’s allies pushed back that blocking the return risks gifting Reform the seat.