Why Keir Starmer is suddenly afraid of the Greens

Die 34 year old British woman made history on Friday night. She was elected in the by-election Gorton and Denton constituency in Greater Manchester with 14,980 votes for the efirst Green MP in the north of England chosen.

The result is not only historic because no Green candidate (or, for that matter, a Green candidate) has ever won a by-election. Even if the losers in particular are likely to insist that local by-elections are not comparable to national parliamentary elections, this election result indicates a monumental change: that End of the two-party system.

Historical difficulties

The Greens were valid in Great Britain long as a splinter party. This is partly due to the British electoral system. Unlike the Austrian proportional representation system, in which parliamentary seats are allocated proportionally to the votes cast, this applies in Great Britain „First Past the Post“-System. The country is divided into 650 constituencies; The person with the highest vote in each constituency goes to parliament. A party that comes second in 300 constituencies would not have any seats in parliament.

That favors tactical choosing. Those who don’t give their favorite party much of a chance are more likely to choose one of the two big ones – Labor and Conservatives. And because this means they get more votes, the old system remains in place.

But recently there was a change. The Cost of living crisis and too many scandals have shaken trust in the major parties. To date, this has manifested itself in a shift to the right. Nigel Farage’s new Reform UK party came straight into parliament with eight members. That’s twice as many as the Greens had until Thursday night.

New top, new values

But then came Zack Polanski. The former actor, hypnotherapist and psychotherapist was born in… September 2025 as the new leader of the Greens. With fearless announcements and clear positioning as an eco-populist, he managed to win the party in opinion polls from 9 to 14 percent to increase. The Greens are now in the lead among those under 30 – thanks in part to many young members like Hannah Spencer. One new generation of young politicianswho clearly acknowledge their values ​​and their origins and take up the points that Labor voters missed: a Focus on left-of-center issues and a harsh criticism of the rich establishment.

Hannah Spencer’s words of thanks could have come from a Labor MP. Less than the former core issue of the environment, she focused on the new core constituency of the working class: “I didn’t grow up with the desire to become a politician,” she said Friday morning. The plumber completed training as a plasterer during the election campaign. “I will make room for everyone who pursues a profession like mine. We’ll finally get a seat at the table. We can demand better conditions without hating each other.”

Starmer still in crisis

For Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Spencer’s landslide victory was a win another low blow in a long series of political setbacks. Not only because the Gorton & Denton constituency in northern England has been led by the Social Democrats for the past 90 years, but also because Starmer had banned a Labor candidate from running in this election.

Officially it was said, Andy Burnham is busy with his office as mayor of Manchester. But Starmer may have actually tried to do one Opponents at a distance to keep. Burnham is popular and interested in becoming prime minister. But to challenge Starmer, he must sit as an MP in the House of Commons.

This option is currently off the table. But now sits anstelle der Labourkandidatin Angeliki Stogia Hannah Spencer in the House of Commons. Even if Andy Burnham doesn’t currently offer him any immediate competition: political Danger is for Starmer anything but spellbound.