Strikes dominate the news agenda as Labour wins in Stretford and Urmston

Andrew Western has won the Stretford and Urmston by-election – in a second by-election victory in as many weeks for Labour. Western, who has served as leader of Trafford council since 2018, secured 69.4% of the vote and a majority of 9,906, while the Conservatives saw their vote share fall by almost 12 percentage points to just 15.9%. The result was never really in doubt. The Greater Manchester seat has been held by Labour since its creation in 1997, and the party’s last majority was a comfortable 16,417 votes. Western takes over as MP from Kate Green who stepped down in November to take up the role of Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor. In his acceptance speech in the early hours of this morning, Western said the result was a “strong message”, adding: “The people of Stretford and Urmston do not just speak for this constituency but for millions more people up and down the land who know that this government has been letting us down for the past 12 years.”

But the by-election win did not even get a look-in during Anneliese Dodds’ appearance on Sky News this morning, with the Labour Party chair instead quizzed on the rail strikes and the opposition’s position on nurses’ demands for a pay rise. The first of two days of strikes by the Royal College of Nursing on Thursday was hailed by general secretary Pat Cullen as a “turning point in the campaign for fair nursing pay”. The union leader added: “On a bitterly cold day, the public warmth towards nursing staff was immense.” The latest polling reflects the mood felt on the ground. A YouGov survey found that 64% of respondents said they supported the nurses’ decision to go on strike. Labour voters were most likely to back the strikes, with 63% saying they were strongly in favour. But, more significantly, Tory voters were marginally more likely to support the strikes than oppose them – with 48% saying they either strongly or somewhat supported the action, compared to 47% who said they were strongly or somewhat opposed to it.

In internal Labour news, Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi has reportedly been expelled from the party. Wimborne-Idrissi – who was elected to Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) earlier this year – revealed in September that she had been suspended from Labour for appearing at an event organised by a group proscribed by the party.

One more Labour parliamentary candidate was selected on Thursday evening, with members in Gravesham choosing Lauren Sullivan as their next candidate. Sullivan is a councillor on Gravesham Borough Council, representing Northfleet North ward. She currently serves as cabinet member for strategic environment. As ever, we have diligently been updating our rolling list of Labour candidates – do keep checking back for any you may have missed!