2026 Gorton and Denton by-election

A by-election for the United Kingdom parliamentary constituency of Gorton and Denton was held on 26 February 2026. It was caused by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne. Many commentators saw the election as a three-way race between Labour, the Green Party and Reform UK.

## Background

Andy Burnham, the incumbent mayor of Greater Manchester, applied to be the Labour Party candidate, but his candidacy was controversially blocked by the Labour Party because they were worried if elected he would challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.

## Results

Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer won the by-election by a majority of 4,402. She became the Green Party's fifth MP and first in the North of England. This was also the first ever parliamentary by-election win for the Greens.

The result was the sixth largest Labour majority to be flip at a by-election since World War II. It was the Greens' first ever Parliamentary by-election victory and the highest vote share they have ever received in such a by-election.

## Opinion polls

<div class="overflowbugx" style="overflow:auto; width:auto">
|rowspan="2"|Date(s) conducted|rowspan="2"|Pollster|rowspan="2"|Client|data-sort-type="number" rowspan="2"|Sample size|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Labour|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Reform|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Green|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Workers|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Cons|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Lib Dem|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|OMRLP|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Advance|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Rejoin EU|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|LPUK|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|SDP|class="unsortable" style="width:50px;"|Comm. League|data-sort-type="number" rowspan="2"|Lead|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||colspan="3"|2026 by-election|25.4%|28.7%|style="background:#CCFFC6;"|**40.7%**|_N/A_|1.9%|1.8%|0.4%|0.4%|0.3%|0.1%|0.1%|0.1%|style="background:;color:#FFFFFF;"|12|||||||||||||||||
||Opinium|_Byline Times_/Forward Democracy|401|style="background:#FFCCD9;"|**28%**|27%|style="background:#CCFFC6;"|**28%**|_N/A_|6%|4%|1%|2%|2%|1%|0%|—|Tie||||||||||||||||
||Omnisis|Opal Ltd|452|26%|style="background:#e8e8e8"|29%|style="background:#CCFFC6;"|**33%**|_N/A_|5%|2%|0%|0%|3%|1%|1%|0%|style="background:;color:#FFFFFF;"|4|||||||||||||||
||colspan="16"|List of candidates published for by-election||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
||Find Out Now|Betterworld Ltd|143|style="background:#e8e8e8"|33%|style="background:#ccf8ff;"|**36%**|21%|—|8%|3%|colspan="6"|—|style="background:;color:#FFFFFF;"|3|||||||||||||||||||
||colspan="3"|2024 general election|style="background:#FFCCD9;"|**50.8%**|14.1%|13.2%|10.3%|7.9%|3.8%|colspan="6"|N/A|style="background:;color:#FFFFFF;"|36.7|||||||||||||||||||||

## Infobox (election)

- **type**: by-election
- **turnout**: 47.6% ( 0.2 Percentage point, pp)
- **election date**: 26 February 2026
- **previous election**: 2024 United Kingdom general election
- **previous year**: 2024
- **next election**: Next United Kingdom general election
- **next year**: _Next_
- **image1**: Hannah Spencer (cropped).jpg
- **candidate1**: **Hannah Spencer**
- **party1**: Green Party of England and Wales
- **popular vote1**: **14,980**
- **percentage1**: **40.7%**
- **swing1**: 27.5 percentage points, pp
- **image2**: Dr Matthew Goodwin - Chatham House 2011 (cropped).jpg
- **candidate2**: Matt Goodwin
- **party2**: Reform UK
- **popular vote2**: 10,578
- **percentage2**: 28.7%
- **swing2**: 14.6 percentage points, pp
- **image3**: Angeliki Stogia (cropped).jpg
- **party3**: Labour Party (UK)
- **popular vote3**: 9,364
- **percentage3**: 25.4%
- **swing3**: 25.4 percentage points, pp
- **seats for election**: Gorton and Denton constituency
- **map image**: North_West_England_-_Gorton_and_Denton_constituency.svg
- **map size**: 200px
- **map caption**: Boundary of Gorton and Denton in North West England
- **title**: Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), MP
- **before election**: Andrew Gwynne
- **before party**: Independent politician, Independent
- **after election**: Hannah Spencer
- **after party**: Green Party of England and Wales