Celebrations, selfies and crowdsurfing: Greens relish seismic night in British politics
When the result dropped soon after, it would be obvious this was an historic moment for the Greens; toppling one of Labour’s largest majorities, and claiming their first parliamentary seat north of Herefordshire by winning the Gorton and Denton byelection.But very early on Friday morning, at the count in the Manchester Central Convention Complex, it would be easy to think nothing out of the ordinary was happening.Green activists and counting agents inside the hall maintained an air of calm, gradually upping their briefings from cautiously optimistic to quietly confident.But there was little sense within the room that this was the start of a seismic shift in British politics.Before the counting had officially begun, it was clear the Greens had taken the lead, and that the only real contest would be between Reform and Labour for second place.
It soon became apparent that what had been billed as a tight three-way race was anything but.There were celebrations happening; just elsewhere.At an all-night party at the Niamos Radical Arts and Cultural Centre in Hulme, the mood was jubilant, with Green activists dancing and drinking as the party’s deputy leader, Mothin Ali, crowdsurfed off the stage.Back at the count, Labour sources were briefing early on that their chances would depend on turnout; and specifically which parts of the constituency had turned out in greater numbers.While byelections tend to have lower turnouts, 47.
62% came out; only marginally less than the 47,8% of the electorate who voted in 2024’s general election,When Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, was elected in neighbouring Manchester Central, the turnout of 18,2% was the lowest since the second world war,But the Farage factor drove turnout here to almost general election levels, with people motivated to vote either for or against his party.
After votes had been verified but before counting had begun, Labour’s activists were unofficially conceding defeat.At the back of the counting hall, Powell, Andrew Western MP, who was the political lead for the byelection, and the party’s press officer sat huddled next to a pile of red clipboards.The party’s own sampling data showed Reform ahead in Denton, and the Greens in the lead across the Manchester part of the constituency.When Labour’s candidate, Angeliki Stogia, arrived at the count at about 3.30am, she was immediately surrounded by a crowd of supporters, who formed a protective ring around her, with reporters and opposition supporters kept away, and Powell the only Labour figure giving interviews to media.
Reform’s Matt Goodwin arrived at 3.50am and, in a brief huddle, told journalists: “I think that what you’ve seen is the emergence of a dangerous sectarianism in British politics.”“I think the Greens are riding a very dangerous wave,” he said.“I’m very concerned about the direction of the country, and I think many people are going to be watching this byelection, and they’re going to be feeling the same things that I am, which is deep concern about where Britain is heading.”“I don’t think the progressives beat us, I think the progressives were told how to vote,” he said, adding that “a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives came together to dominate the constituency.
”Last to arrive, at about 4,10am, was Hannah Spencer,The Green candidate looked slightly shell-shocked, at times seeming almost tearful, at times ecstatic during her victory speech,A loud cheer from her supporters as her 4,402 majority was announced was the first time the Greens in the room were seen to celebrate their landmark victory,“People in their thousands told me on the doorsteps, and at the ballot box, that what we are sick of is being let down and looked down on, and we are sick of our hard work making other people rich,” Spencer said from the podium.
And in what appeared to be a swipe at her Reform rival, she added: “I can’t and won’t accept this victory tonight without calling out politicians and divisive figures who constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society.”The plumber, who also qualified as a plasterer two weeks ago, told her customers: “I’m sorry, I might have to cancel the work that you’ve booked in, because I’m heading to parliament.”With the party leader, Zack Polanski, watching from the front row, reporters then turned to him for comment, but he said: “I just want to give Hannah a hug, actually,” before joining Spencer to pose for selfies and a brief round of media interviews – with the pair then being spirited away to that exuberant all-night party.
Square Mile strikes back: how the City of London is fighting disinformation about crime
“Just visit London and you’ll see that it’s filled with crime,” the tech billionaire Elon Musk said as he was beamed into Tommy Robinson’s far-right rally in the UK capital last September.The comments by the SpaceX and Tesla boss, part of a roving speech that was later condemned by the UK government, added to a growing wave of anti-London disinformation that has spread in recent months. That includes Donald Trump’s notorious comments of London “no-go zones” and Nigel Farage’s warnings against wearing jewellery after 9pm in the West End.But the panic over antisocial behaviour and petty crime plaguing the capital has burst out of rightwing circles and social media platforms and into City boardrooms and diplomatic meetings, raising the hackles of state officials and influential financial sector bosses who fear that, if left unchecked, trade, recruitment and business investment could suffer.“Nobody’s saying ‘it means that I won’t invest in the City’,” said Susan Langley, the City of London’s mayor
Harrods faces legal action over £1-a-head dining charge not going to staff
Harrods is facing legal action over its addition of a £1-a-head cover charge to diners’ bills that does not go to workers, in a test case that could lead to changes at a string of upmarket restaurants.Legislation, which came into force in October 2024, requires business owners to hand over all tips and service charges to staff. Some restaurants, including those at Harrods, add a mandatory cover charge as well as an optional service charge and only pass on the latter to their workers.An employment tribunal case involving 29 Harrods restaurant workers backed by the United Voices of the World (UVW) union is to be heard in September. Workers argue that the cover charge functions in practice as a service charge and so should be distributed to them and not kept by Harrods
Suicide forum found to be in breach of Online Safety Act after failing to block UK users
A suicide forum linked to deaths in Britain has been ruled provisionally in breach of the Online Safety Act after it failed to properly block access to UK users when ordered to do so last year.Ofcom, the online regulator, said it could now apply to the courts to demand internet service providers block access to the site in the UK. This will depend on how the site, which also faces fines, responds over the next 10 days.Coroners had been raising concerns about the links between the forum and suicides in the UK since at least 2019, campaigners said. The family of 17-year-old Vlad Nikolin-Caisley, from Southampton, said he took his own life in 2024 after using the site, which Ofcom is not naming
OpenAI announces $110bn funding round that would value firm at $840bn
OpenAI said on Friday it is raising $110bn in a blockbuster funding round that would value the ChatGPT maker at $840bn, in a deal that signals the feverish pace of investment in artificial intelligence.It’s more than double the amount the company raised last year, when it racked up $40bn in the largest private tech deal on record.This year’s funding round, which is still open, includes a $30bn investment from SoftBank, $30bn from Nvidia, and $50bn from Amazon, and comes ahead of the AI startup’s expected mega-IPO later this year. Even more investors are expected to join.“We’re super excited about this deal,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told CNBC on Friday
Formula One to revise controversial rule at centre of Mercedes engine row
Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, and rival engine manufacturers have reached a compromise solution to tackle the controversy surrounding Mercedes that had threatened to overshadow next week’s start of the season in Australia.The sport is entering a new era with the biggest changes in decades to the engine and chassis regulations. Engine compression ratios have been a major talking point, with Mercedes suspected of exploiting a loophole to gain performance through the thermal expansion of components and there is talk of possible protests after the Melbourne race. Mercedes have said any change will make no difference to them.The FIA said in a statement on Saturday that amendments to the 2026 regulations had been approved unanimously by an e-vote of its World Motor Sport Council
Oleksandr Usyk to defend title against kickboxer at Pyramids of Giza in Egypt
Oleksandr Usyk, who has not fought since a fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois at Wembley in July, will defend his WBC heavyweight title against a kickboxer at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.The bout with Rico Verhoeven on 23 May, dubbed “Glory in Giza”, will be the first title fight held in Egypt, according to The Ring magazine, and will be streamed live on Dazn.Verhoeven, the 36-year-old Dutch heavyweight, is 66-10 with 21 KOs as a kickboxer, has sparred in the past with Tyson Fury and had one professional bout in 2014, which he won by a knockout.“I truly respect people who reach the very top in their sport,” Usyk said. “Rico is one of them – a powerful athlete and a great champion
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