Megan Kenyon

The Green Party’s gains in councils including Hackney, Lewisham, Waltham Forest, Norwich, Mid Suffolk and Hastings have given it unprecedented control over local services and budgets. However, rising demand for social care and temporary accommodation, combined with spending power that remains below 2010–11 levels, is making it difficult for the new Green administrations to deliver their promised improvements. The party’s anti-austerity stance is therefore facing a practical test as councils contend with deep and persistent funding constraints.

Sharon Graham has been re-elected general secretary of Unite, defeating challenger Simon Dubbins with 68,694 votes to 31,130, or approximately 69 per cent of the vote. The election saw exceptionally low turnout: only 100,089 of 970,945 distributed ballots were returned, representing about 10 per cent. Graham first won the role in 2021 after Len McCluskey retired.

Mainstream, the soft-left group backed by Andy Burnham, has endorsed Monica Lennon in the Scottish Labour leadership contest after she received 83 per cent support from its Scottish members. The contest follows Anas Sarwar’s resignation to become a trade minister in Burnham’s government. Lennon, who lost her Holyrood seat in May, returned as an MSP for the Glasgow Region in July and is seeking the leadership for a second time after losing to Sarwar in 2021. The election follows Scottish Labour’s record-low result of 17 seats in the 129-seat Scottish Parliament.

Zack Polanski’s refusal to apologise for resharing a post about Nigel Farage has intensified concerns about his social media conduct and leadership of the Green Party. The party’s growing profile and membership are now challenged by Andy Burnham’s Labour leadership, which appears to be attracting progressive voters who previously supported the Greens. A poor Green result in the Greater Manchester mayoral contest and polling losses have prompted an internal debate over whether to cooperate with or confront Labour. With the party preparing for its largest-ever conference, members must decide whether to continue Polanski’s eco-populist approach, although no clear successor is currently emerging.

Bev Craig has retained the Greater Manchester mayoralty for Labour, winning 66.3 per cent of the vote and 309,525 votes in what was described as the largest by-election in British history. Turnout was 25 per cent, and Craig’s vote share was slightly below Andy Burnham’s 67 per cent in 2021. The election was triggered by Burnham’s resignation on 18 June after he won the Makerfield by-election.

Jeremy Corbyn remains expelled from Labour but has returned to party leadership through the new left-wing Your Party, while continuing to serve as an Independent MP and campaign on foreign policy, particularly Gaza. He remains critical of Keir Starmer’s record on Gaza and rejects the suggestion that his leadership was chiefly responsible for Labour’s antisemitism crisis, citing the independent complaints process he introduced. Corbyn maintains a respectful relationship with Andy Burnham, though he opposes Burnham’s emphasis on devolution. Despite Diane Abbott’s readmission to Labour, Corbyn sees little prospect of returning and intends to contest the next election. His leadership continues to shape Labour’s politics and its unresolved divisions.

Geraldine Coggins is leading the Green Party’s most ambitious campaign yet: an attempt to win the Greater Manchester mayoralty from Labour’s Andy Burnham. The Greens have redirected resources from the unwinnable Makerfield by-election, drawing in national MPs and organisers after electoral gains in Gorton and Denton and across Manchester. Polling places the Greens second with 22 per cent, behind Labour on 38 per cent, while limited Reform UK activity could benefit them. The party’s immediate goal may be a strong second-place finish that demonstrates growing strength and builds capacity for future contests, though it argues that dissatisfaction with Labour and concerns about housing could create an opening. Coggins has pledged affordable housing, rent controls, opposition to the government’s immigration reforms and North Sea drilling, as well as a tougher stance on Israel’s actions in Gaza and attacks on Burnham’s record.

The Green Party is preparing to target Shabana Mahmood if she is appointed chancellor under Andy Burnham, according to an internal memo. The party plans to portray Mahmood’s support for fiscal constraint and economic orthodoxy as contrary to its economic agenda, criticize her immigration reforms and past praise of Margaret Thatcher, and frame her use of “tough choices” as a justification for spending cuts. The preparations reflect growing electoral competition between the Greens and other progressive parties.