(Adnkronos) – The Greens secure a historic electoral victory in Manchester, marking a dramatic defeat for Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a Labour stronghold. Hannah Spencer, a Green Party councilor and plumber, came in first place in the elections for the Commons seat, with 13,000 votes. And the Labour candidate even came in third, after that of Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s far-right party.
To give a dimension to the defeat registered by the Prime Minister’s party, Labour recorded a 25.3% drop in Manchester compared to 2024. The defeat confirms and deepens the Labour Party’s situation of great difficulty, as it loses votes to the left on one hand and faces the rise of Farage’s nationalists, and particularly Prime Minister Starmer, on the other. It is the first time in almost 100 years that Manchester will not be represented by a Labour member.
“Instead of working for a better life, we work to fill the pockets of billionaires, they are cleaning us out, I don’t think it’s extremist to think that those who work hard should have a better life,” Spencer said in her victory speech, emphasizing that she intends to put the emphasis on community solidarity by attacking politicians who seek “scapegoats.” “My Muslim friends and neighbors are like me, human beings,” she concluded with a jab at Farage.
