Our Victory in Gorton and Denton Is Only the Beginning
The Green Party has proven it can remake our broken politics — and its message of hope is resonating with working-class people across the country.
Green Party MP Hannah Spencer in Denton, England. (Credit: Christopher Furlong via Getty Images.)
What a difference a week makes. Last Wednesday, I was out pounding the pavements in Gorton and Denton, knocking on doors and chatting with people about their lives — now, I’m in parliament. I never dreamed that someone like me could end up in Westminster because I’ve never really seen anyone like me here.
The polls were saying it was a straight fight between the Greens and Reform. From what I heard on the doorsteps, I could feel in my bones that something was changing. We had so much support. People either brought up Labour in an angry way or didn’t mention the party at all. Still, part of me expected that come Monday morning, I’d be back to work as a plumber, and I was even looking forward to putting my brand new plastering qualification to use.
Most voters I spoke to said the same things. Bills through the roof. Rent and mortgages are becoming impossible to manage. Litter and fly tipping are getting out of control. Struggles getting dentist and doctor’s appointments. Worries about what’s happening with our NHS and the plans to carve it up and sell it off.
A lot of them, from all different backgrounds, were also annoyed about the Labour government’s complicity in genocide. That’s what people are like around here. We care about each other, we look after one another, and we speak up against injustice — whether it’s on our doorsteps or on the other side of the world.
Right-wing media and politicians tried to pit us against each other and stir things up, but the claims they made about this area didn’t ring true. That’s why I never bought the idea that Reform was going to sweep to victory here, even when the polls showed them out ahead. People aren’t looking for scapegoats. We want change.
The system is broken, and almost everyone can see it. Many voters who are sick of Labour, and would never dream of voting Conservative, are prepared to take a punt on something different. For a brief moment, Reform was able to sell itself as the only alternative to our failed status quo. But, just like Labour and the Tories, it is in the pocket of wealthy donors. The party has no plan to improve things for ordinary people like us, and we aren’t buying its false promises.
That’s why I found a home in the Green Party: it’s not just more of the same. We’ve got serious and ambitious plans to solve our country’s problems. A top priority is doing what the Labour government won’t — ending Thatcher’s disastrous privatisation experiment and bringing utilities, transport, and the postal service back into public hands. We’ll also introduce a wealth tax to end decades of spiralling inequality, and ensure the cost of rebuilding public services is shouldered by those who can most afford it.
During the by-election, we ran a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to local people. Labour and Reform, on the other hand, launched a series of bad-faith attacks — misrepresenting our policies, lying about what the polls showed, and engaging in racist and anti-Muslim dog whistles. It’s the same story time and time again. The establishment parties have no clue how to fix things, so they talk to us like we’re daft. The Green Party is doing so well because we don’t take people for fools. We explain what we stand for, and it resonates with working-class communities in every part of the country.
Working hard should get you something, the way it used to do. And if people can’t work, they should be taken care of too. Everyone deserves a safety net and a chance to get ahead. Nobody should be left behind. That’s the kind of country we want to live in, and we’re sick of being told that it’s impossible. It’s not too much to ask for a wage you can support a family on, free higher education, or to be able to get an NHS dentist appointment when you need one.
Our biggest challenge used to be persuading people we’re not a wasted vote. But my win in Gordon and Denton showed what’s possible, and we’ve already seen another surge in the polls. YouGov now has us on 21 percent — two points behind Reform, and six points ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives. We’re the most popular party with voters under 65.
The old two-party system is dead, and we’ve proved we’re the only party that can beat Reform. We recently passed 200,ooo members and things are showing no sign of slowing down. Across Britain, we have talented, working-class people with strong local roots who are ready to stand as our candidates. I am so proud of them all, and I can’t wait to see what they do once they’re elected.
If you believe in the things we do — a hopeful future with proper workers’ rights, nationalised public services, foreign policy that treats people like humans, and a decent welfare state — then join us. Join the Green Party and help make hope normal again. Join us in overthrowing this stale, entitled political establishment that clings to power but offers nothing.
We’ve got a fight on our hands, I won’t deny that, but together it’s one we can win. Gorton and Denton were supposed to be one of Labour’s safest seats. If we can win there, then nowhere is off limits. A Green tidal wave is heading for parliament. This by-election is only the beginning.
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