The result was "clearly disappointing", said Labour Party chair Anna Turley. The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the contest for the vacant parliamentary seat of Gorton and Denton. The Green Party won 40.7% of the vote on Friday in an election triggered when an MP resigned for health reasons. Nigel Farage's Reform Party came second with 28.7% of the vote and Labour finished third with 25.4%. Starmer was unlikely to face an immediate threat to his position if he lost, Labour lawmakers said before the vote.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 27, 2026 12:03 UTC