Labour clung on to control of Manchester City Council but suffered huge losses as the Green Party and Reform UK made significant gains.
Mancunians across the city were voting for change yesterday with 32 out of 96 Manchester City Council seats up for grabs, a third of its current makeup.
Manchester was a historically Labour city, winning 30 of the 33 seats up for election in the 2024 election, while the Green Party, Liberal Democrats, and Workers Party only won one seat each.
But with Reform candidates entering into the council for the first time, this election unsettled the political makeup in Manchester.
Labour lost a total of 24 seats, only managing to defend their seats in six wards.
The Green Party saw a majority win of 18 seats, while Reform won seven seats and Liberal Democrats held one seat.
The overall picture means – of the total 96 seats in Manchester City Council – Labour has 63 (decrease of 24), the Greens have 21 (increase of 17), and Reform go from no seats to seven. The Lib Dems still have four seats and there’s still one independent.
Opinion seems to be divided among the re-elected Labour councillors, with some blaming PM Keir Starmer for Labour’s loss, while some insist on a local focus or decline to comment.
Cheetham re-elect Naeem Hassan, for Labour, said: “When I was knocking on doors, people said to me ‘We love you, but we hate Labour party.’ So that is the main message to the national Labour party.”
Meanwhile, Green stood as a united front, with uproarious cheering heard during every declaration of the 18 seats they gained.
After years of coming into second place, this was an historical win for the Greens. Moss Side councillor Thirza Asanga-Rae said: “I think the Green Party now has birthed a new Manchester.”
Numerous councillors said they wish this rare win would inspire hope nationally and end the two-party system.
Levenshulme councillor Fesl Reza-Khan (Green Party) said: “This is a message from Manchester to the whole country: red pill, blue pill, it ends today. There are other options.”
And new Green Party MP Hannah Spencer added: “People are ready for a different way to do politics – one that is more hopeful and brings people together.”
Reform also got their fair share of seats, winning seven seats on their first entry to Manchester Council Elections.
Charlestown councillor Dylan Evans said: “I think Labour have taken Manchester and the North in general for granted, and they’re paying for that today.”
However, most seats were won by a small margin, with Reform nearly losing Brooklands to Labour with only eight votes’ difference.
Liberal Democratic Party’s John Leech has managed to defend his seat in Didsbury West, and warns other parties that LibDems are the ‘real opposition in the council’.
“I think they may have had that experience in the past, being opposition, but as Greens, we are about to see the largest Green group we’ve ever had in Manchester, and it’s only going to continue growing,” said Gorton and Abbey Hey councillor Chris Ogden in response.
This election also saw an overall increase in voter participation, with an overall 7.57% increase in turnout.
Although not on a national level, the Green’s majority win in Manchester indicates a real threat for Labour in future elections.
Featured image credit: Punita Chan
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