Labour's Gorton Loss: Internal Rift & Green Gain

0:00On March 1st, this episode is brought to you by NordVPN. If you use public Wi-Fi or care about your privacy online, NordVPN helps keep your connection secure across all your devices, links in the episode description. Here's the latest in UK news. Labor has lost the Gorton and Denton by election to the Green Party in a stunning upset. The party held a 13,000 vote majority there, just from the 2024 general election, but its candidate Angelique Stagia fell too. Green challenger Hannah Spencer on February 27th. The C became vacant after former MP Andrew Gwynn stepped down on health grounds, following his suspension over a controversial WhatsApp group, Scandal. That group made offensive comments about constituents and party figures, sparking outrage. Local activists are furious, accusing labor of refusing to change. They spotted three TAMESIDE counselors linked to the Scandal at the January 31st candidate selection meeting where Stagia was picked.

1:01Those same counselors, including Brenda Warrington, stayed active in the campaign, despite an ongoing probe. An independent report later found those counselors breached council conduct rules over the WhatsApp issue. Meanwhile, greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wanted to run, but got blocked by Labor's National Executive Committee, with votes against from Prime. Mr. Sir Keir Starmer and others. This internal rift has left Labor bruised, raising questions about its hold on greater Manchester seats, and potential wider fallout as tensions. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga. Samaraga.