Keir Starmer branded a ‘lame duck leader’ after losing one of Labour’s safest seats

Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh criticism of his leadership after Labour’s humiliating loss to the Green Party in Gorton and Denton, where the party came third behind Reform

Sir Keir Starmer has been branded a “lame duck leader” following Labour’s by-election humiliation.

The Prime Minister was left red-faced yet again after his party lost one of its safest seats to the Greens and came in third. Labour’s excruciating loss in Gorton and Denton, where Reform came second, has sparked fresh questions about the PM’s future ahead of crucial local elections in May.

And the embarrassing result came after Labour blocked hugely popular Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing. Labour hasn’t lost in the constituency since 1931 and it had 50% of the vote in the last election in 2024.

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The result shows it’s being squeezed on the left by the Greens as well as on the right by Nigel Farage’s Reform. Labour MPs, unions and campaign groups have demanded a change of course from Sir Keir ahead of crucial elections in May. They warned his days in No 10 could be numbered unless the party’s fortunes improve.

Former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said the result should be a “wake-up call” for the party. She called for her colleagues to “be braver” and “rededicate” themselves to “a Labour agenda that puts people first”.

Maryam Eslamdoust, leader of the Labour-affiliated transport union TSSA, called on Sir Keir to go. She said: “There’s an urgent need for a change in leadership, and Keir must announce his departure immediately.”

A spokesman for the Conservative Party, which came a distant fourth and lost its deposit, said: “Keir Starmer has killed the Labour Party. Starmer has shown he no longer commands the support of Labour voters and is now a lame duck leader.”

Polling guru Sir John Curtice said that “nervousness” about the PM’s “ability to turn around his party’s electoral fortunes” will be “heightened”. He said: “Not that there will be any move against the Prime Minister before May the 7th.

“But his chances of surviving after May the 7th if the results are bad, have, I think, been diminished.” Sir Keir lamented the “very disappointing result” but vowed to stay on and “keep on fighting”.

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