Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

27 Feb, 14:28 — 27 Feb, 14:42

Moderate (27/100)

2 sourcesNarrow spread1 region

Why this matters

Byelections serve as crucial indicators of public sentiment and potential shifts in political support between general elections. The results in Gorton and Denton highlight challenges for major parties like Labour and the Tories, while signaling growing support for smaller parties like the Greens, potentially influencing future election strategies and national political discourse.

ℹAll sources from UK region

ℹOnly 2 sources cover this story

Perspective Analysis

AI-generated comparison of how 2 sources cover this story

Coverage of the Gorton and Denton byelection largely aligns on the Green Party's victory and Labour's poor performance. However, outlets differ in their primary focus, with some emphasizing Labour's negative outcome while others offer a broader analysis of multiple parties' results.

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

guardian

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyTone

The Guardiancenter-leftcenter-leftanalyticalcritical of Labour and Tory losses

FTcentercenter-rightanalyticalhighlights Labour's negative outcome

Coverage leans: center

The coverage presents a mixed political picture, with one outlet focusing on Labour's struggles and another offering a broader view of losses across major parties, resulting in a generally balanced perspective on the byelection's impact.

What sources agree on

The Green Party achieved a significant victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection.
Labour experienced disappointment and losses in the byelection.
Reform UK also faced a disappointing outcome in the byelection.

Where they diverge

The primary significance and interpretation of the byelection results.

Focuses on the negative implications for Labour, framing the outcome as 'Green grief for Starmer' and the 'worst possible outcome' for the party.

The Guardian

Presents a broader analysis, highlighting the Green win, disappointment for Reform, and losses for both Labour and the Tories.

Key claims2 agreed · 2 unverified

✓

The Green Party beats out Reform UK in the byelection.

agreed·FTThe Guardian

✓

The Greens have pulled off a landmark victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection.

agreed·FTThe Guardian

The by-election was the ‘worst possible outcome’ for Labour.

Coverage gaps

The specific framing of the byelection as the 'worst possible outcome' for Labour.

ReportedFT

MissingThe Guardian

Explicit mention of landmark losses for the Tories in addition to Labour.

ReportedThe Guardian

MissingFT

Perspective Analysis

Comparing sources…

External Fact-Checks

Claims matched against human-vetted fact-check databases

—This is misleading. The most recent projection from Election Maps UK for Gorton and Denton suggests the Greens will see the second largest increase in vote share compared to the 2024 election, behind Reform UK. But it also suggests that Labour will still hold the seat.

Figures from an Election Maps UK projection show only the Greens can stop Reform UK in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Full Fact·28 Jan 2026Read →

How outlets covered this

Left-leaning

The Guardian

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

Center

Green grief for Starmer: by-election special

Right-leaning

No articles

Key entities

Green Partyvictorious party in byelection Labourparty experiencing significant losses Reform UKparty with disappointing byelection results Toriesparty experiencing losses Starmerleader of Labour Party Gorton and Dentonconstituency where byelection occurred

Coverage Timeline

First report: The Guardian · 27 Feb, 14:28|Full coverage: All 2 sources within 14m|Window: 14m

Left-leaningCenterRight-leaning

The Guardian27 Feb, 14:28First to report

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

FT27 Feb, 14:42Latest update

Green grief for Starmer: by-election special

Read at source (2 outlets)

FT3h ago

Green grief for Starmer: by-election special

Green Party beats out Reform UK in ‘the ‘worst possible outcome’ for Labour

Read full article →

The Guardian3h ago

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

The night saw a big win for the Greens, disappointment for Reform and landmark losses for Labour and the Tories The Greens have pulled off a landmark victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection in a significant blow to Labour and the leadership of Keir Starmer. Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green party councillor, was elected as the party’s first MP in northern England after overturning Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, while Reform UK finished second and Labour came third in the tightly c...

By Alexandra Topping Political correspondent

Read full article →

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

Why this matters

Perspective Analysis

Political spectrum

What sources agree on

Where they diverge

Key claims2 agreed · 2 unverified

Coverage gaps

Perspective Analysis

External Fact-Checks

How outlets covered this

Left-leaning

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

Center

Green grief for Starmer: by-election special

Right-leaning

Key entities

Coverage Timeline

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

Green grief for Starmer: by-election special

Read at source (2 outlets)

Green grief for Starmer: by-election special

Five key takeaways from the Gorton and Denton byelection

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Why this matters

Key entities

External Fact-Checks

Perspective Analysis

Political spectrum

What sources agree on

Where they diverge

Key claims2 agreed · 2 unverified

Coverage gaps

Coverage matrix