The sun is shining on a new era in Greater Manchester today, after Labour swept to power across the UK for the first time since 2010.
The new era began in gymnasiums, convention centres, and town halls in the early hours of Friday (July 5). As counting culminated at 6am this morning, it was confirmed that the Conservatives had been wiped out in Greater Manchester.
It’s a far cry from the electoral success the party enjoyed here in 2019, with Andy Burnham’s old seat of Leigh being emblematic of the wave of support then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson enjoyed in the north. However, the old saying goes that a week is a long time in politics — and the 2019 results came in just over 238 weeks ago.
That might explain why, compared to the 2024 Labour landslide, they feel like they belong in a different geological age, not decade.
The beneficiaries of this Tory collapse in Greater Manchester have been Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Of the city-region’s 27 constituencies, last night Labour won 25 and the Lib Dems won two.
As each result was declared, winning candidates took the the declaration stage in those gymnasiums, convention centres, and town halls to thank their volunteers, election agents, and families for their win.
And they also took to social media to pay their thanks. Lisa Smart, the new Lib Dem for Hazel Grove, posted a video said she will be a ‘pest’ for her corner of Stockport.
“I’m not afraid to make a pest of myself standing up for what this community needs,” she joked on camera. “After a kip, I look forward to getting cracking.”
Rebecca Long-Bailey, unable to attend the count for her seat of Salford because she has Covid-19, said ‘it is the greatest privilege on earth to serve the people of this great city’ in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“I promise to continue to give everything I have to be a voice for the voiceless and I will do everything I can to deliver the change you have voted for,” she added.
Another Labour MP, Christian Wakeford, won in Bury South. Initially, he was elected as a Tory in 2019 but defected to Labour in 2022, and won again last night. Confusingly, that result meant he secured a Labour gain — from himself.
But that won’t be first and foremost in his mind, as he’s now getting some R&R in. He said: “Most of all thank you to the people of Bury South for entrusting me to represent you – thank you to my family who I am very excited to now spend the next couple of days with.”
Like Mr Wakeford, Michael Wheeler, the new Labour MP for Worsley and Eccles South, thanked his constituents for ‘trusting’ him. And he promised to fight for every corner of his patch: “I am humbled by the trust placed in me by the people of the Worsley and Eccles constituency. From Astley to Eccles, Cadishead to Wardley, I will fight for you.”
But perhaps the mood among Labour MPs was best summarised by Afzal Khan, who won in Manchester Rusholme. He simply said: “: To five more years and (finally!) a Labour government.”
