Gorton residents have shared their views on the upcoming by-election, after Andy Burnham was blocked from running in the election this week.
As Mayor of Manchester, Burnham would need to step down in order to run since legislation prohibits mayors such as himself from serving as MPs.
His bid was outvoted by Labour’s National Executive Committee eight to one, something Burnham called “disappointing” on social media. This sentiment was reflected on Tuesday in a letter from 50 Labour MPs addressed to party leader Keir Starmer, urging him to reconsider his decision as Labour cannot risk losing to reform.
But, it seems things are already heading this way, with one local Denton shopkeeper saying they would change their vote from Labour to Reform in the next by-election.
“There’s not lots of support for local businesses, as we’ve seen in Denton Retail Park,” they say.
“Starmer has done damage, and has done nothing for self-employed people.”
When asked why they would vote Reform next time, they replied “new broom sweeps clean, they’ve had their chance, time to give another person a chance.”
However, not all are as pessimistic on the mayor’s abilities, as pub owner, Julie, from Gorton, said: “You see him a lot on the news and I know he does good things.
“He puts himself before his career, some people are self growers but he is a people person.”
This reaction comes hours after today’s PMQs, where Labour’s decision to bar Burnham was primarily used by the opposition as artillery against an increasingly divided party.
Andrew Griffith, Shadow Minister for Business and Trade, struck a particularly raw nerve with Labour, claiming Burnham had “had his dreams crushed by Labour.”
Gorton and Denton has traditionally voted Labour, however their MP Andrew Gwynne resigned earlier this month leaving the constituency vulnerable to Matthew Goodwin, presenter for GB News, who is the Reform by-election candidate.