Polls close in Gorton and Denton byelection after three-way battle between Greens, Labour and Reform

The polls have closed in the three-way battle for Gorton and Denton in south-east Manchester after one of the most unpredictable byelections in years.The Green party leader Zack Polanski said before voting that his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK to overturn Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, and that Labour will need to “search their conscience” if Reform UK wins.Keir Starmer’s party had targeted left-leaning voters in the Greater Manchester seat with claims that only Labour can see off Nigel Farage’s Reform, saying that a vote for the Greens was “in effect, a vote for Reform”.Labour’s strategy of claiming the Greens could not win had echoes of the disastrous Caerphilly byelection in October, which the party lost to Plaid Cymru despite telling voters repeatedly: “Only Labour can beat Reform.”Labour is defending a 13,413-vote majority in Gorton and Denton, where nearly 80% of voters backed a party on the left at the 2024 election

The leadership issue may be settled, but Your Party’s struggle for electoral relevance has only just begun

At 11am on the dot, about 1,000 Your Party members, along with a few lurking journalists, were waiting online to find out who would lead the party after a bruising two-week election campaign. “One minute to paradise!”, joked one in the comments alongside the YouTube livefeed.In the end, they had time to make a brew. A Your Party official entered the comments to inform those waiting that the results would, in fact, begin half an hour later than planned. “I blame Thatcher,” one comrade grumped

Dual national rules are another own goal for Labour | Brief letters

Regarding the new rules on dual nationals (Report, 24 February), given its standing in the polls, surely the government would prefer not to give voters yet another reason to think they are governed by callous, indifferent fools? Permitting dual nationals to enter with an electronic travel authorisation would be a simple fix for a stupid and illiberal policy inflicted on its own citizens.Bill RobinsonNorwich Keir Starmer’s latest change of mind, over local elections (Report, 16 February), reminds me that years ago, my driving instructor told me U-turns should be avoided if possible. But if one was required, it was necessary to move as far to the left as possible before turning. Stuart Harrington Burnham on Sea, Somerset I realise a Quick Crossword is not supposed to be very difficult, but “number of days in two weeks” or “prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain” (19 February) are clues that most young children could probably solve. I have lately gone from taking about 15 minutes to solve it to an average of four

The Your Party committee election was chaos. Why break the habit of a lifetime? | John Crace

Start as you mean to go on. Your Party has had a fair few ups and downs in its short lifespan. Some might call it chaos. Its two most prominent members, Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, seem barely able to stand being in the same room as each other. Allegations of financial misconduct over membership fees and donations

Labour, Green party and Reform make final pitch to voters in Gorton and Denton – as it happened

Grassroots Left, the Your Party faction supporting Zara Sultana, has issued a statement following the leadership team elections won by the rival The Many slate, which backs Jeremy Corbyn. It says:double quotation markOur party is strongest when members have real power: over policy, finances, selections, and decision-making – through transparent, accountable structures. All Grassroots Left members will push for this on the CEC. We will push to make sure the branches are recognised immediately, fully supported and that members are put at the heart of the party.Your Party must now work together to become a party of and for the whole left – with no more witch-hunts or stitch-ups

Your Party under Corbyn to work with Greens on ‘coordinated left-flank offensive’

A Jeremy Corbyn-led Your Party will work with the Green party and others to push for a “coordinated left-flank offensive” against Reform and Labour, the Guardian understands.After winning a comprehensive victory to become the de facto leader of the leftwing startup party on Thursday, Corbyn will seek to rebuild bridges with pro-Gaza communities “alienated” by his rival Zarah Sultana, sources close to Corbyn said.Corbyn will become Your Party’s parliamentary leader, after an election in which Sultana was also voted on to the party’s leadership committee under its collective leadership model. Corbyn-backed candidates took 14 of the 24 available places on the party’s central executive committee (CEC). Sultana-backed candidates took seven of the seats and three went to independents