Labour must search its conscience if Reform wins Gorton and Denton, says Green leader

"It's looking neck and neck between the Green party and Reform. I don't think Labour are in this race at all – they've known that for a long time. The Labour party know that the Green party are on track to win this election and I think that they're doing everything they can to try and split the vote."

"My biggest fear is a scenario where Reform win by a handful of votes because Labour took a small percentage of the vote but it was just enough to stop the Green party from winning. A split vote on the left allowed Reform to win the Runcorn and Helsby byelection last May by six votes."

"Labour is defending a 13,413-vote majority in Gorton and Denton where nearly 80% of voters backed a party on the left at the 2024 election. The result will be declared at about 4am on Friday."

The Gorton and Denton byelection in south-east Manchester represents an unpredictable three-way battle. Green Party leader Zack Polanski claims his party is neck and neck with Reform UK to overturn Labour's 13,413-vote majority. Labour has targeted left-leaning voters with messaging that only they can defeat Reform, arguing Green votes effectively support Reform. Polanski accuses Labour of deliberately splitting the left vote, citing internal data showing Greens fractionally behind Reform with Labour significantly further back. He warns that a split left vote could allow Reform to win by narrow margins, referencing the Runcorn and Helsby byelection where Reform won by six votes. Nearly 80% of Gorton and Denton voters backed left-wing parties in 2024.

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