Starmer's Labour Faces Gorton By-Election Test

0:00It's February 26th, and 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 what's happening across the UK. Poles closed at 10 p.m. Thursday night in the Gordon and Den by election in Greater Manchester, leaving Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer waiting. Anxiously for the result, expected early Friday morning, Labour took the seat with over half the votes in the 2024 general election, but recent surveys point to a tight three-way battle against Reform UK and the Green Party. Labour poured resources into holding this traditional stronghold, sending over 1,000 activists and top figures like Cabinet Ministers and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to rally support for candidate Anagela Kistogia. Meanwhile, Reform UK's Matthew Goodwin campaigned alongside Nigel Farage, building on their

1:02win last May in Runcorn and Helzby, where they flipped a big Labour lead. The Greens, led by new head Zach Polansky, fielded Hannah Spencer and aimed to pull left-leaning voters away from Labour, especially in areas with, strong Muslim communities upset over Gaza policy, both challengers see a win as proof they can seriously threaten the government. Tensions ran high with accusations flying between camps, including claims of fake tactical voting leaflets from Labour and heated Gaza messaging from. The Greens, officials noted the area's mix of ethnicities, religions and economic challenges made predicting the outcome tough. Whatever happens, this test comes at a rough time for Starmer's team amid scandals and sinking national polls, with a strong Labour-finished offering. Summer leaf before May's local elections, while a week's showing could spell deeper trouble ahead, while a week's showing could spell deeper trouble ahead,icki Lambert