{"id":963387,"date":"2026-05-16T08:05:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T08:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/963387\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T08:05:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T08:05:20","slug":"manchesters-new-green-wall-will-voters-in-burnage-and-moston-ever-return-to-labour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/963387\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester’s new ‘Green wall’ – will voters in Burnage and Moston ever return to Labour?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The suburbs of south Manchester have been part of Labour<\/a>\u2019s heartlands in recent times – but something seems to have changed.<\/p>\n

In the local elections on May 7, the Green Party swept to victory in council seats across the city, in places such as Burnage, Levenshulme<\/a>, and Rusholme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It has created what has been described as a new \u2018Green wall\u2019 in the places where Labour once dominated, while Reform UK snatched wins in areas of Manchester such as Miles Platting and Newton<\/a> Heath, and Moston<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for the latest on Greater Manchester’s politics in our newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n

So have voters in these areas turned their back on Labour for good?<\/p>\n

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to residents in Burnage and Moston to find out.<\/p>\n

Sandwiched between the A34 and A6, Burnage is perhaps best known as being home of Oasis stars Noel and Liam Gallagher.<\/p>\n

But on the streets of this traditionally working class community, people said they are looking away from Labour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI voted Green this year, I\u2019m 52 and since being 18 I\u2019ve always voted Labour,\u201d said Melissa Tait, speaking on Burnage Lane.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to vote Reform, but I don\u2019t feel Labour are doing anything for voters, and that\u2019s why I\u2019ve gone for Green.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never voted for them before, but I think we need a change.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a feeling that seems to be spreading across Greater Manchester. A sense that proud communities are not improving quickly enough, and a clamour for something different.<\/p>\n

The Green Party put themselves forward as a progressive alternative in Manchester, and voters backed them in many areas of the city in the local elections.<\/p>\n

The Greens won 18 out of 32 council seats<\/a> up for grabs on May 7.<\/p>\n

Labour is still in control of the town hall, but faces a fight to maintain its grip on power in future years.<\/p>\n

There are now 63 Labour councillors in Manchester, down 24 on May 7, the Greens have 21 council seats, up 17; Reform seven, up seven; the Lib Dems<\/a> four, with no change; and there’s still one independent.<\/p>\n

For people like Melissa in Burnage, voting for the Greens was a protest rather than a fundamental change in her political beliefs.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cMaybe it is a bit of a protest vote actually, I\u2019ve never really thought about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy view at the minute on politics, of all the parties, I don\u2019t feel that they are here for the people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems to be that they\u2019re doing things for their friends, and it\u2019s like, well what are you really doing for us?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I thought I\u2019d see if the Green Party can do anything for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

One man at the front of voters\u2019 minds in polling booths on May 7 was the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n

Many people around Greater Manchester said they don\u2019t feel inspired by the Prime Minister\u2019s vision for the future of the country.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of Labour\u2019s battering at the local elections, close to 100 Labour MPs have called on Keir Starmer to resign.<\/p>\n

It has led to Makerfield MP Josh Simons stepping aside<\/a> to make a route back to Parliament for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, if he allowed to stand in the race, and if we wins the by-election.<\/p>\n

There is a belief that Andy Burnham being back in Parliament could see him become the country’s next prime minister in the event of a Labour leadership challenge against Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n

In Burnage, Melissa said: \u201cTo me he [Keir Starmer] is no different from all the other politicians if I\u2019m honest, just with all this stuff coming out about him knowing Mandelson and all that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think, are they really doing anything for us? I don\u2019t really see what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Burnage<\/p>\n

Burnage resident Melissa Tait voted for the Green Party in the local elections(Image: Declan Carey \/ Local Democracy Reporting Service)<\/p>\n

Asked whether Andy Burnham<\/a> could be the answer to Labour\u2019s problems, Melissa added: \u201cI would vote for him. Yes. He\u2019s been mayor for a while, he seems to be doing quite good things for Manchester, he speaks up for Manchester people, I would definitely vote for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burnage is the seat of Manchester council leader Bev Craig, whose councillor term runs until 2028 before up for re-election<\/p>\n

Despite Labour\u2019s losses in Manchester\u2019s local elections on May 7, the city\u2019s Labour group is still the largest in the country.<\/p>\n

Councillor Bev Craig said: \u201cPeople having their say at the ballot box is a precious thing in a democracy, and the results last week across the country were not good for Labour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost seats in the city, many by very narrow margins but remain the largest Labour group in the country. Representation is hard earned and should never be taken for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many times we heard on the doorstep that people weren’t voting on issues locally but national frustrations, international issues, the pace of change, the cost of living, wrong decisions taken by government, and for some a referendum on the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard time and time again that people wanted change from the national Labour Party and they need to listen and change, showing ordinary people they are on their side.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere in Manchester, Manchester Labour hasn\u2019t lost sight of our values, be that on when we argued against the government on protecting winter fuel, Gaza or standing up for disabled people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will keep putting our values into practice while calling on the Government to show they\u2019ve listened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some residents in the area felt that Burnage had not abandoned Labour.<\/p>\n

Resident Julie Walker, 66, described herself as a Labour voter who voted Green on May 7, and said: \u201cI\u2019m not sure the area did entirely turn its back on Labour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julie explained that not all of the community had been convinced by the record of the former Labour councillor Murtaza Iqbal, who lost his seat on May 7 in Burnage to the Green Party.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cPersonally, I just thought it was time to let somebody else a chance, I think if one of the other councillors had been up for election, we might have had a different outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously national issues have also overshadowed local issues, because personally the Labour Party<\/a> have done an awful lot in this area that is very good in the last five years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about whether Keir Starmer put people off voting Labour in Burnage, Julie said: \u201cI think it may have done, because I think people have got their eye on national issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I think for the local elections we should really be looking at local issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think some people are just hungry for change, and the pace of change just isn\u2019t fast enough for some people.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Andy Burnham\u2019s future, Julie said: \u201cI don\u2019t want to lose him, I think he\u2019s a treasure, and he\u2019s really playing to his strengths here. For selfish reasons I don\u2019t want to lose him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Astrid<\/p>\n

Astrid Johnson is the leader of Manchester council’s Green Party group(Image: MEN)<\/p>\n

The Green Party group in Manchester\u2019s town hall became the council\u2019s largest opposition group overnight during the local elections on May 7.<\/p>\n

Councillor Astrid Johnson, group leader at Manchester Greens, went from running an outfit of four councillors to 21.<\/p>\n

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: \u201cWe are moving into a new era of politics in Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just off the back of Hannah [Spencer\u2019s] amazing win in Gorton<\/a> and Denton<\/a>, it\u2019s the mood of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows there is a real appetite for a more collaborative way of working.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Green Party\u2019s campaign in Manchester meant the party was not surprised by its victories on May 7, Councillor Johnson said, explaining that the group was actively preparing to win swathes of seats.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cOur two main objectives this year are to push the Labour administration to speed up the changes that residents really want to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second priority we have is to build our expertise and ability to potentially take over and run the council in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fully behind that, it is definitely on the cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the Green Party\u2019s priorities in Manchester, Councillor Johnson highlighted a list of priorities, including a commitment to tackling the climate crisis, making rents and housing affordable for residents, and calling for free bus journeys for people aged under 22, among other things.<\/p>\n

On the Green Party\u2019s success in Manchester, Coun Johnson said: \u201cI think in terms of the Greens, it\u2019s the Green wall. We won the overall popular vote massively.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that there is a Green wave. I think it\u2019s a protest vote for both parties in the sense that people are fed up with the status quo, and that the two-party system has not been able to solve any of their problems, so they are seeking answers elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see that especially in Manchester people have trusted that Greens can deliver on that change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many people I and my colleagues spoke to, where there were so many people who said they will never ever vote Labour again.\u201d<\/p>\n

In north Manchester it was a different story though.<\/p>\n

\"Pete<\/p>\n

Pete Strong, 79, said he supported Reform UK(Image: Kenny Brown \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

Places such as Moston returned large votes for Reform UK. In the Moston ward, Reform won 1,683 votes to Labour\u2019s 1,498.<\/p>\n

Reform won a total of seven council seats in Manchester on May 7, but had better success in areas such as Wigan<\/a> and Tameside<\/a>, further away from central Manchester.<\/p>\n

On the streets of Moston, residents explained why the area backed Reform in the local elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny party that gets in government has got a horrific job,\u201d said Peter Strong, 79.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis country has been in decline, through bad immigration control, to bad management generally, going right back to the 1970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI\u2019ve supported Reform, but Reform can\u2019t work miracles, they can\u2019t do any better than possibly Starmer has done with this government, it\u2019s going to take a long time to pull us back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Moston resident, Giovanna Palazzo, 52, has lived in Moston for the last ten years and said: \u201cMy personal view is that we are coming out of decades of Conservative government.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would give Keir Starmer some time to go ahead with his policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked why Moston voted for a Reform UK councillor, Giovanna said: \u201cI think probably it\u2019s related to immigration \u2026 I don\u2019t think it\u2019s anything to do with their local policies specifically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI voted Labour in the local elections, because I saw improvements in the neighbourhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manchester council leader Bev Craig added: “The Labour-led council are getting on with the day job of making our city better, cleaner streets and improving residents’ lives.<\/p>\n

“We were the first council in the north west to get Ofsted ‘outstanding’ children’s services and are seeing frontline basic services like street cleaning, roads, our 150 parks and green spaces, our 23 libraries and 25 leisure centres get built back up after years of austerity.<\/p>\n

“We built more council, social and genuinely affordable homes for Manchester residents last year than we’ve done in 25 years, we are reducing homelessness, we’re improving outcomes for young people, and we are making sure regeneration improves our local high streets and centres.<\/p>\n

“We have a track record of delivering and an ambitious plan to keep improving our city, working for the people of Manchester and people across our city won’t want that put at risk.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The suburbs of south Manchester have been part of Labour\u2019s heartlands in recent times – but something seems…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":963388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[8916,226718,748,26696,393,4884,14144,528,2465,17557,285,386,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-963387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-andy-burnham","9":"tag-bev-craig","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-burnage","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-green-party","15":"tag-labour-party","16":"tag-manchester","17":"tag-moston","18":"tag-politics","19":"tag-reform-uk","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/963388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}