Overview
- Voters go to the polls on February 26 after Labour MP Andrew Gwynne stepped down in a seat that has backed Labour for generations.
- A constituency poll by Omnisis published Friday suggested the Greens on 20%, Reform UK on 17% and Labour on 15%, indicating a tight three‑way race.
- Keir Starmer cast the contest as a straight fight with Reform and warned that votes for the Greens could let Reform through, pointing to last year’s narrow Runcorn result.
- Labour escalated attacks on the Greens’ drugs policy, while Green leaders said they support legalisation with regulation and a public‑health approach rather than uncontrolled access.
- Local shifts—Gaza‑related disillusionment among Muslim voters, anger over blocking Andy Burnham, and frustrations in Denton—are splintering Labour’s base as Reform focuses on older white working‑class areas.