The special election in northern England was supposed to be neck-and-neck-and-neck: a three-way scrap between the governing Labour Party, fighting to keep control of a seat in its historic heartland, and two outsiders – the hard-right populist Reform UK party, and the new-look progressive Green Party.
In the end, it wasn’t even close.
Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber and member of the local council, won the seat in Gorton and Denton, near the English city of Manchester, with 14,890 votes, more than 40% of the total votes cast. Reform UK, which has led in most national polls for more than a year, came second with 10,578 votes, while Labour trailed in third, with 9,364 votes – around 25% of the total.
“I didn’t grow up wanting to be a politician. I’m a plumber,” Spencer said after the results were announced, apologizing to customers for having to cancel work now that she’s moving to Westminster. Spencer, who campaigned heavily on cost-of-living issues, said she stood as a candidate after questioning the value of “hard work” in today’s Britain.
“Working hard used to get you something. It got you a house. A nice life. Holidays,” she said. “But now, working hard – what does that get you? Because talk to anyone here, and they will tell you. The people who work hard but can’t put food on the table. Can’t get their kids school uniforms. Can’t put the heating on… Life has changed.”
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