The Gorton and Denton by-election in Levenshulme: what to expect and its potential impact

The Gorton and Denton by-election is approaching fast, with voting taking place on Thursday (26 February). 

Results are expected to be announced when the voting is counted, which could be late Thursday night or early Friday morning, depending on the number of votes. 

Historically, the area has represented by Labour, so a switch to Green or Reform may lead to policy changes for local residents. 

A recent poll by an independent Manchester-based research company called Omnisis revealed that  Green candidate Hannah Spencer was in the lead to take the win.

However, the poll also shows that up to 30% of voters were still undecided on who to vote for, which could significantly sway the result. 

Many streets in Levenshulme display signs supporting each party, with the majority of streets displaying signs for Green and Labour on a random visit by NQ. 

A by-election takes place when a seat in the House of Commons becomes available due to an MP stepping down.  Sitting Labour MP Andrew Gwynne stepped down as MP for Gorton and Denton due to ill health  

A week before the by-election a hustings was held in Levenshulme with 10 out of the 11 candidates speaking. 

Many residents of Levenshulme attended the hustings, with the candidates presenting to a room of close to 300. 

Organiser of the hustings, Jeremy Hoad, told NQ: “The hustings was certainly a better opportunity to hear from the candidates. 

“In Levenshulme, I think the Greens will probably get a stronger vote, and they’ll come top. Across the constituency as a whole, I still think it is split three ways.”

Each candidate had one minute at the hustings to answer each question and was given the option to have a right of reply if another candidate made a remark about them. 

“I think for us here in Levenshulme, we are very diverse, the most diverse area in Manchester by various metrics and for us I think it wouldn’t make a significant difference if Labour won because Labour have held the seat for decades anyway,” he said.

“If Green won, then there’s a lot of Green support in Levenshulme. So I think a lot of people would be quite relieved about that. If Reform won, particularly in Levenshulme, although it’s not universal, there would be considerable disquiet because of the rhetoric and the polices of Reform.”

Jeremy felt a lot of the candidates at the hustings talked about personal matters and identity rather than addressing the issues affecting residents in Levenshulme.

“They’re not talking about local issues and they’re not really engaging with people,” said Jeremy.