Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party suffered a sensational defeat in the Gorton and Denton constituency, where it had held an undisputed lead for almost a century. The victory of Green Party representative Hannah Spencer in the Greater Manchester area was a serious blow to the authority of the head of government. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
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According to Friday's vote count, Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party came in second, while the Labour Party finished in a humiliating third place.
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Labour chair Anna Turley called the result "unequivocally disappointing," as the constituency was considered one of the safest for the party. The defeat came despite Starmer personally visiting the region this week, trying to mobilize the electorate and strengthen positions after a series of political setbacks.
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Critics of the prime minister link the failure in Manchester to his controversial decision to block the nomination of popular mayor Andy Burnham, as well as the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. The latter caused a wave of outrage among lawmakers due to Mandelson's past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, which has already led to calls for Starmer's resignation as party leader.
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