The by-election that could decide the UK's future
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
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Summary
Sir Keir Starmer’s next big test is the Gorton & Denton by-election in three weeks' time; commentators are calling it a three-way race between the Greens, Reform and Labour. But how is this vote a microcosm of the national picture, and what does it tell us about the direction of travel in British politics and the key issues that really sway voters?
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Guest: Darryl Morris, journalist, Times Radio.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producer: Olivia Case.
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Clips: BBC, Channel 4, Manchester Evening News, Novara Media, The Green Party, Reform UK, The Spectator.
Photo: Getty Images.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From The Times and the Sunday Times, this is the story. |
| 0:06.1 | I'm Manvine Rana. |
| 0:11.3 | It was the fight to fight the by-election in Gorton and Denton |
| 0:15.3 | that first put the race in the headlines. |
| 0:18.1 | ...with Andy Burnham having been blocked from standing as a candidate for an upcoming |
| 0:23.4 | parliamentary by-election by Labour's ruling body. |
| 0:27.1 | The Prime Minister is facing a backlash from some Labour MPs, angered by the decision. |
| 0:31.9 | Andy Burnham's doing a great job, but having an election for the Mayor of Manchester, when it's |
| 0:37.0 | not necessary, would divert our resources away from the elections that we must have. |
| 0:43.0 | And now, with three weeks to go, this Manchester constituency is being thrust into the spotlight. |
| 0:49.6 | What do you want to know about the Gorton and Denton by-election? Everyone's been talking about it. |
| 0:54.0 | Gorton and Denton. Gorton and Denton. Gorton and Denton. Gorton and Denton. Other way around. Gorton and Denton. |
| 1:00.0 | Doesn't it sound like a sort of double act from the 80s? Whose sketches are not allowed to be shown anymore. |
| 1:06.8 | They cannot be repeated because of the accents. |
| 1:15.6 | So what do we know about this relatively new constituency? |
| 1:17.1 | Who lives there? |
| 1:19.9 | And what are the issues that will swing their vote? |
| 1:23.4 | And with this looking like a close three-way fight, |
| 1:27.5 | what would it mean for Kirstama if Labour lose? |
| 1:36.1 | The story today, the Gorton and Denton by-election. So there's a by-election in Gorsden-Denton on the 26th of February |
| 1:49.3 | because the Labour MP for the area, Andrew Gwynn, resigned recently on health grounds. |
| 1:57.2 | I'm Daryl Morris. I am a presenter on Times Radio, and I'm also Northern. |
... |
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