Voters in Gorton and Denton went to the polls on Thursday, February 26, to elect a new Member of Parliament following the resignation of Former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne due to ill health.

Gwynne had held the seat, and its predecessor, since 2005, representing a constituency that includes Audenshaw, Burnage, and Levenshulme.

Eleven candidates appeared on the ballot, with the race widely viewed as a close three-way contest between Labour’s Angeliki Stogia, Green Party’s Hannah Spencer, and Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin.

An Opinium poll conducted from February 16–24 suggested a highly competitive race: among all voters, Green and Labour were tied at 28%, with Reform at 27%, while among likely voters, the Greens led with 30%, and Labour and Reform remained at 28% each.

Opinium’s head of policy James Crouch described the contest as “incredibly tight and unpredictable,” noting potential impacts from tactical voting.

The by-election carries particular significance for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

A Labour win would provide political breathing room, while a third-place finish in a historically safe Labour seat could raise questions about his leadership.

Other major elections loom later this year, including local authority votes on May 7, Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru elections, and the selection of six directly elected mayors in England.

The next UK general election must be held by August 15, 2029, under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.

Polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday, with counting and verification proceeding through the night.

Results were expected early Friday, February 27, though high turnout, a close race, or the new voter ID rules could delay declarations until 6–7am.

The by-election faced allegations of illegal “family voting.”

Democracy Volunteers reported 32 incidents at 15 of 22 observed polling stations, affecting roughly 12% of voters.

This was a stark increase from previous by-elections, raising concerns about electoral integrity.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticized the findings, and the reports were forwarded to Manchester City Council.

The Acting Returning Officer’s office stated that polling staff are trained to prevent undue influence and no issues were reported during voting hours, expressing disappointment that the claims were raised only after the polls closed.