LONDON — Britain’s embattled government has spent much of its time in power worried about political upheaval. Instead it just got a sucker punch from the progressive left.
The Green Party delivered a stunning blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer early on Friday by winning a hotly contested by-election in the northern city of Manchester.
The vote in Gorton and Denton was seen as a three-way contest between the Greens, the growing right-wing Reform UK party led by Mr Trump ally Nigel Farage, and Starmer’s ruling centre-left Labor Party, which has long dominated politics in the area.
In this event it was a comfortable victory for Green candidate Hannah Spencer, 34.
Spencer was a plumber before he entered politics, a symptom of the grievances of both political parties in a country where wages have stagnated, public services are ailing, and years of government scandal have eroded trust in institutions.
Starmer’s position has been under scrutiny for months, but recent revelations related to Epstein’s scandal have left him in a very vulnerable position.
Enter the “eco-populist” Greens, who want to overhaul Britain’s energy system, tax the wealth of billionaires, dismantle its nuclear weapons program and reverse its policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Bear with me, because this is a lot,” a victorious Spencer told the crowd in his north Mancunian home as he considered the gravity of the result. For people who “feel abandoned and alone,” she said, “I see you and I will fight for you.”
He explained that he never wanted to be a politician and apologized to anyone who had signed up for his plumbing services.
“I’m not different from everyone here in this region,” he said. “Working hard used to get you something, it got you a house, a good life, holidays, it got you somewhere, but now working hard, where does that get you?”
This race was considered to be a three-way race, but in the event it was not that close. Spencer received 14,980 votes, while Reform’s Matthew Goodwin received 10,578 and Labour’s Angeliki Stogia received 9,364.
The result piles more pressure on Starmer, the most popular prime minister since records began, according to polls. Even long-time fans are disappointed by those who say he cannot convey a consistent message to a stagnant nation.
Deputy Labor Leader Lucy Powell admitted that “on the day the Greens were able to win that argument they were placed in the best position” to win the Reformation. But he insisted there was “no leadership contest” within Labor after weeks of speculation that Starmer’s ministers could try to oust him.
Labor “seems to be almost paralyzed by presenting a way forward on key issues,” said Scott Lucas, professor of politics at University College Dublin.
The election also complicates the broader narrative in the United Kingdom and Europe, where nationalists backed by the Trump administration are on the rise.
The Greens have tapped into widespread anger at rising prices and the cost of living, but instead of blaming immigrants they have directed their anger at the super-rich.
“The message of giving people a better economic future can be heard; it can cut through the white noise that defines so much of our politics,” said Lucas.
The local population is largely divided between working class areas, college students and Muslim residents. Most of the latter two groups feel disillusioned with the direction of the government under Starmer, particularly what they see as an inadequate response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
In the campaign, Goodwin epitomized his party’s anti-immigration and anti-Islamic platform, saying “We are losing our country” and “a dangerous sect of Islam has emerged.”
Spencer criticized the approach after the win.
“I will not accept this victory tonight without calling politicians and divisive people who are always hiding and blaming our communities for all the social problems,” he said. “My Muslim friends and neighbors are like me: human.”
The revolution is still a national movement ahead of the next national election scheduled for 2029 and has led all major opinion polls for 10 months.
However their current polling rate of 28% will not give them enough power to govern on their own, and they may have to enter a coalition government.
A clear victory for the Greens underscores the left-wing threat to Britain’s traditional governing parties, too.
Green leader Zack Polanski is seen by many pundits as one of the most likely politicians to oppose Farage’s popular appeal.
“People everywhere will now know that voting for Green is the way to win Reform,” he said in a victory statement.
