The Greens’ triumph in Gorton and Denton is “not the end of the story”, said party leader Zack Polanski as he eyes further success at this month’s Greater Manchester mayoral election.
Plumber Hannah Spencer overturned a Labour majority of 13,000 to become the constituency MP in a February by-election.
After Andy Burnham stepped down as the region’s mayor, the Green Party hopes local councillor Geraldine Coggins will also pull off another historic election success.
In 2024 Mr Burnham retained his mayoralty with a nearly two-thirds majority and a winning margin of more than 350,000 votes.
Speaking at the Green Party’s campaign manifesto launch in Hulme, Manchester, on Thursday, Mr Polanski acknowledged the size of the challenge as he said: “It is a huge task and I don’t think there’s any point in pretending otherwise. That’s exactly why I’m here, and so many of our members and activists are out every single day, leafleting, door knocking and getting that message across.
“What I’m increasingly confident in though is, I look back at Gorton and Denton, so many people underestimated us, including journalists, and they said, ‘You’re not in this race, polling doesn’t look good for you’.
“We always knew that we could win this. We didn’t know we were going to win it. We knew that it was certainly possible. And in the end, not only did we just win with a small majority, we won with a seismic majority.
“I’m also clear though that was the beginning of the story and not the end of the story. And actually, on July 30 or in the preceding days – when it turns out that we have faced up to this incredible task, when Greater Manchester has a Green mayor who will go out every day, fight for a city to be more affordable, to get big money out of Manchester and make sure that she’s serving people and planet rather than private profit – I think that’s something people will be excited about.
“Ultimately our communities have had their wealth extracted to property developer companies, and what Geraldine is talking about is keeping that wealth in the community.
“I think that’s something that will appeal to everybody, and I think it’s something that people can vote for on July 30.”
Other manifesto pledges include free bus travel for the under-22s and to revitalise high streets.
Mr Polanski said: “In so many places, in the 10 boroughs across Manchester, it just feels like places are hollowed out. There’s nothing really happening and very often people don’t even know who owns the empty shops.
“So Geraldine is talking about bringing in an empty shops team. This is a group of people, experts, who could identify who owns the building, and then push them or encourage them to make sure that they’re using it for public good or community purpose.
“I think that’s really important to make sure that high streets are alive again.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “Greater Manchester deserves a Mayor who will deliver – not a manifesto built on fantasy policy pledges and undeliverable promises.
“The Greens have produced a wish list full of expensive commitments but they’ve failed to explain how any of it adds up or fits within the powers and budget of the Greater Manchester Mayor.
“People are tired of empty headline pledges with no credible plan to pay for them, and no route to actually making them happen.
“Labour’s candidate Bev Craig is the only candidate with a proven track record of delivering for Greater Manchester including working closely with Andy Burnham to deliver and expand the Bee Network, building more genuinely affordable homes in the last 25 years in Manchester and building on the strongest devolution settlement anywhere in the country. “
Read MoreBurnham’s secret plot to get to No 10
Burnham will make good PM, Starmer says as nominations for new leader open
Key Burnham ally claims Starmer’s government was sexist
Full list of places shortlisted to be named UK’s first Town of Culture
Nigel Farage latest: Millionaire Labour donor offers to bankroll Count Binface
