Did the Greens just deliver a knockout blow for Keir Starmer?
Electoral Dysfunction
Sky News
4.4 • 764 Ratings
🗓️ 27 February 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Harriet thinks the Greens delivered a "bruising" defeat to Labour in the Gorton and Denton by-election, so is Keir Starmer now worried about the local elections in May?
The Gorton and Denton by-election result on Friday was a shock for Labour, who Beth says were convinced they would hold on to this once safe seat for the party. And the Greens now have a new MP in Hannah Spencer.
Is this a sign of things to come in the May elections? Are the Green Party a serious contender and concern for the government? What does it mean for Labour to come third behind the Greens and Reform? And have Reform got a ceiling to their support?
Beth, Ruth and Harriet also discuss the arrest of former US ambassador Lord Mandelson this week. He denies all wrongdoing and his lawyers said he wants to "clear his name".
Got a question for the burner phone? WhatsApp 07934 200 444 or email electoraldysfunction@sky.uk.
And if you didn't know, you can also watch Beth, Ruth and Harriet on YouTube.
Transcript
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| 0:35.5 | Sky News, the full story first. Thank you. The Full Story First. |
| 0:46.0 | Hello and welcome to Electoral Disfunction with me, Beth Rigby. |
| 0:48.3 | Me Ruth Davidson and me, Harriet Harmon. |
| 0:50.2 | And we're back together again today. |
| 0:52.5 | Kind of. I'm in Scotland. |
| 0:56.1 | Harriet, you're in the studio in London. And Beth, since the last time we spoke to you, you've been halfway round the world to France, you've been to Ukraine and back, |
| 1:01.1 | you're in another dodgy hotel room in the north of England. I'm just going to say, Ruth, |
| 1:05.7 | it's quite a swanky hotel room this time. Oh, yes. You've been, oh well, see, there you go. |
| 1:10.4 | I needed me to rest well |
| 1:11.9 | last night, so yeah. But look, what an incredible result in this by-election this morning. So I'm |
| 1:20.0 | going to start off with asking you all, well, all of us, what's your one word to describe the green |
| 1:26.4 | win in Gorton and Denton, Ruth? |
| 1:29.1 | Seismic. Absolutely seismic. This will ripple into eternity. And this is no hyperbola, into eternity, |
| 1:34.9 | people. Harriet. I think it's bruising, bruising for the government, bruising for the Labour Party. |
| 1:40.1 | And my word was also seismic, so I wish I'd gone first. |
| 1:45.5 | You know, and I'm in Manchester because I came up last night to cover the close of the count in Manchester. |
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