{"id":25348,"date":"2026-02-26T09:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=25348"},"modified":"2026-02-26T09:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:38:12","slug":"starmer-polanski-and-farage-in-final-pitch-to-voters-as-polls-open-in-gorton-and-denton-byelection-uk-politics-live-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=25348","title":{"rendered":"Starmer, Polanski and Farage in final pitch to voters as polls open in Gorton and Denton byelection \u2013 UK politics live | Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n

Starmer and Polanski both claim their parties best placed to beat Reform UK as polls open in Gorton and Denton<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Good morning. In Gorton and Denton, on the outskirts of Manchester, people have started voting in one of the most eagerly awaited, and fiercely contested, byelections of recent years. All the polling suggests the result will be very close<\/a>. The political scientists argue <\/a>that, if a party wins a contest like this by just a few hundred votes (or perhaps ever fewer \u2013 Reform UK won the Runcorn and Helsby byelection last year by just six votes<\/a>), it is irrational to draw broad conclusions about the state of UK politics over a result that could easily have gone the other way had it not been for a few random incidents (like activists not closing the door in a cafe<\/a>). But politics isn\u2019t rational; a win will firm up a narrative that will shape the way the main parties do politics in the months ahead. (And, whoever wins, the result will confirm that we now have multi-party politics trying to operate in an electoral system constructed for two-party politics, which is leading to questions about the fairness of the outcomes it produces.)<\/p>\n

Here is Josh Halliday<\/strong>\u2019s preview.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The polling stations opened at 7am. Unusually, the leaders of the three parties that might win have all issued personal messages to the voters. Keir Starmer<\/strong>, the PM and Labour leader, and Zack Polanski<\/strong>, the Green leader, are both claiming they are best placed to beat Reform UK.<\/p>\n

Starmer<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n

\n

double quotation mark<\/title><\/svg>The choice at today\u2019s by-election could not be more stark. Unity or division. Driving down the cost of living with Labour or driving a wedge between communities under Reform. Moving forwards together, or opening up anger and division that holds our country back.<\/p>\n

Reform\u2019s Matthew Goodwin thinks people who aren\u2019t white can\u2019t be English and wants women who choose not to have children to pay more tax. Vote Labour in Gorton and Denton today to send him and his toxic politics packing.<\/p>\n

Only Labour\u2019s Angeliki Stogia can unite communities in Manchester and Tameside and stop Reform. A vote for the Greens or any other party just risks letting Goodwin in through the back door.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And Polanksi<\/strong> says:<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n

Labour know they’re in third place. Yet in the last 48 hours have gone as far as obsessively attacking the Green Party and even creating a fake tactical voting website to spread misinformation.<\/p>\n

If you can’t vote today – then join us instead!https:\/\/t.co\/0qbagSvIYp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/gu-island><\/figure>\n

And, in his statement, Nigel Farage<\/strong>, the Reform UK<\/a> leader, said:<\/p>\n

\n

double quotation mark<\/title><\/svg>Our message on election day is clear.<\/p>\n

The prime minister is panicking and knows he has broken his promises to the British people.<\/p>\n

Vote Reform to ditch Starmer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n

9.30am:<\/em> Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, takes questions in the Commons.<\/p>\n

9.30am:<\/em> The Home Office publishes its latest asylum and resettlement figures.<\/p>\n

9.30am:<\/em> The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes homelessness figures.<\/p>\n

Morning: Keir Starmer<\/a> is on an education-related visit in the north of England.<\/p>\n

11am: Your Party announces the results of the elections to its leadership team, its central executive committee. As Alexandra Topping<\/strong> reports<\/a>, there has been a bitter contest between the Jeremy Corbyn faction and the Zara Sultana faction.<\/p>\n

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.<\/p>\n

Noon: John Swinney, Scotland\u2019s first minister, takes questions from MSPs.<\/p>\n

If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can\u2019t read all the messages BTL, but if you put \u201cAndrew\u201d in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.<\/p>\n

If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X<\/a>, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.<\/p>\n

I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can\u2019t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.<\/p>\n