🟥 LIVE: Updates from the Gorton and Denton by election count

Voters in Gorton and Denton will decide their next Member of Parliament tonight, with the result expected in the early hours of Friday morning.

The contest follows the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, who stepped down citing health reasons, bringing a short 34 day campaign to a close.

Eleven candidates are standing in the by election, representing a broad spread of parties and independents. 

Labour is defending a seat it has held since the early twentieth century, but rival parties, including the Greens and Reform UK, have targeted the constituency during the campaign.

With margins previously narrow and campaigning intense across the area, party representatives have described the race as highly competitive. The final outcome will not be known until the returning officer formally declares the result.

Roch Valley Radio will provide live coverage throughout the night, including confirmed turnout figures, updates from the count, and the full declaration as soon as it is announced.

 The Green Party have tweeted a video of a Bee Network bus turning Green. 

pic.twitter.com/GiygBdvN6I

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) February 27, 2026

A Green source has told Roch Valley Radio: "We are now very confident of a win."

Lucy Powell: “I think she would have been a fantastic MP”

Labour's deputy leader has effectively conceded defeat, speaking to Sky News. 

“Clear majority that the people in this constituency did not want Reform to win", Powell said. 

“We need to show our Labour values more strongly and clearly”

Powell went onto back Prime Minster, Sir Keir Starmer and made it clear there is no leadership contest. 

 TURNOUT CONFIRMED: 47.62% 

Ballots will now begin to be counted, meaning we are inching closer to a result over the course of the next few hours. 

 Sky News are reporting that Labour think they've lost.

NEW:
One Labour source who has spent a lot of time in G&D tells me: "I think we have lost." We will see. They say that young Muslim vote has switched to Green.

But the Labour blame game has begun. I just revealed on @skynews that the source blamed Home Secretary Shabana…

— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) February 27, 2026

A Green Party source: "We've said from the start that we weren't here to be disappointed with Labour but to replace them, and from day one of this by-election, we've said only Greens could beat Reform. The Greens are now the only party that can protect this country from the dangerous threat of Reform. Labour has shown it is not up to the job.  We need to wait for the results to come in but whatever happens, it's fair to say Greens are here to stay as the progressive voice of British politics."

Following claims of 'extremely high' incidents of the illegal voting practise at the polls today, Ethan explains what Family voting is and what has been claimed.

Usually, at this point of the count, you might start hearing activists say “we think we’ve won this”. But it’s so close this year no one feels confident enough to call it early. Still a long way to go, of course, but the mood suggests it will go the distance

The Monster Raving Loony Party have arrived with their candidate Sir Oink A Lot, promising free pork scratchings for all if they win.

A member of the Green Party said;

"We've thrown everything at this election, and we know we've given Labour the scare of their life in what was not so long ago one of their safest seats. We're confident that despite the Labour dirty tactics and despite the well-funded Reform machine, the Green vote has held up well."

David Bull says Labour would have won if Burnham stood.
Polanski disagrees and has taken aim at the Labour campaign for accusing the Greens of wanting to sell crack cocaine on playgrounds, whilst overseeing the highest drug death rate in Europe.

Ballot boxes arriving as polls close in Gorton and Denton

The polls have officially closed in the Gorton and Denton by-election. It follows a dramatic campaign, full of twists and turns.

Back in January, when the election was called, there was speculation that Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham would stand for the Labour Party in the seat- that did not happen. He was controversially blocked by Labour’s National Executive Committee from running, and instead Labour have chosen to field Manchester City councillor Angeliki Stogia as their candidate.

Reform picked Matt Goodwin as their candidate for this by-election race. He was born in St Albans, and currently has a Hertfordshire address. Notably, he was mocked at recent Manchester Evening News Hustings by Stogia, who addressed him by saying “Welcome to Manchester”. Goodwin has insisted that he is indeed a ‘Manchester’ candidate, referencing how his Dad’s side of the family are from “Lower Broughton, Salford”, and that his Grandma “ran the accommodation services for students at the University of Salford”. 

The Green Party have fielded local plumber, and leader of their group on Trafford Council, Hannah Spencer as their candidate in Gorton and Denton. She has vowed to take on Reform in this by-election, describing her campaign as one of “hope versus hate”. 

Currently, it is thought to be a very tight race between the Greens, Labour and Reform in Gorton and Denton. The results are expected to be published early on Friday morning.

If you haven't voted yet, Manchester City Council issued a reminder today that if you visit a polling station then you need to bring with you either a photo ID or Voter Authority Certificate in order to vote.

It’s election day in the Gorton and Denton UK Parliamentary constituency! 🗳️

Polls are open 7am–10pm.

Bring your photo ID or Voter Authority Certificate to vote.

Find your polling station here: https://t.co/ichoUxC6zM pic.twitter.com/o8xcpeX7z6

— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) February 26, 2026

Our live blog has now started. This page will automatically refresh as updates are shared this evening. 

The polling stations opened at 7am this morning and will close at 10pm, after which the count will begin.

Throughout this evening, our team will provide updates on this page, along with our social media channels, as soon as they become available to us.