Green Party Candidate's Radical Policy Proposals Ignite Manchester By-Election Controversy
The Green Party's candidate for the contentious Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester has sparked significant political debate by advocating for the decriminalisation of prostitution and suggesting she is open to considering the abolition of the police force. Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber and trainee plasterer who currently serves as a local Manchester councillor, was officially unveiled as the party's candidate yesterday, immediately drawing criticism from rival political camps.
Controversial Policy Positions Revealed
During internal Green Party elections last year, Ms Spencer articulated several controversial policy stances that have now come under intense scrutiny. She made clear her belief that sex work should not be criminalised, stating her support for a complete overhaul of the current legal framework across England and Wales. The prospective MP also criticised last year's Supreme Court ruling on biological sex and suggested that proposed guidance to protect women-only spaces might be possibly illegal.
When questioned about police reform versus abolition, Ms Spencer indicated she would initially support reforming the system, but added: I'm really open to hearing and learning more about people's calls for abolition. This position has drawn sharp criticism from Conservative representatives, with one Tory spokesman commenting that Ms Spencer appears to be clearly living on another planet and is fighting for woke cultural causes rather than addressing genuine community challenges.
Social Media Controversy and Accusations
Separately, Ms Spencer has faced accusations of drawing parallels between the Holocaust and Israel's actions in Gaza through a social media post. Responding to a picture of former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner lighting a candle for Holocaust Memorial Day, she wrote on X: "Never again" but still selling arms to Israel. This prompted a Labour source to claim that Keir drove the racist anti-Semites out of Labour, but they've found their home in the Green Party.
The Green Party has strongly rejected these accusations, branding the suggestion that Ms Spencer's post is anti-Semitic as complete nonsense. A party spokesman explained that the response was clearly directed at Angela Rayner and her claim of never again while the Labour government was failing to oppose an unfolding genocide in Gaza. The spokesman emphasised that both Hannah Spencer and the Green Party utterly deplore antisemitism and argued that invoking such charges in this context just debases the term.
Strategic Positioning in By-Election Battle
The Greens are attempting to position themselves as the main opposition to Reform UK in the Gorton and Denton constituency after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham was blocked from standing as the Labour candidate. This has created an unusual political dynamic in the upcoming by-election, scheduled for February 26th to replace former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne.
Labour believes it can dissuade traditional voters in the seat by highlighting the Greens' controversial policies, including their broader drug policy which proposes decriminalising possession of Class A substances including heroin and crack cocaine. Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has joined his party's candidate, GB News presenter Matt Goodwin, in Denton, where he claimed Reform has a very real chance following Mr Burnham's exclusion from the contest.
Internal Party Dynamics and Wider Implications
The controversy surrounding Ms Spencer's candidacy comes as Labour's general secretary, Hollie Ridley, reportedly criticised senior party figures who have suggested the Greens are genuine contenders in Gorton and Denton. According to reports, she told a weekly meeting of government advisers that suggestions Zack Polanski's party might win are unfounded.
If elected, Ms Spencer - who is training to be a plasterer alongside her plumbing work - would become the first female plumber to serve as a Member of Parliament. The Green Party has defended her candidacy, with a spokesman stating: Criminalising sex workers hasn't worked and sex work should be decriminalised, while also emphasising their support for transgender rights as trans people are a persecuted minority in society.
As political tensions escalate ahead of the February by-election, the contest has become a focal point for broader debates about policing, social policy, and the direction of progressive politics in Britain. With Labour set to unveil its candidate on Saturday and the Conservatives announcing theirs soon, the battle for Gorton and Denton promises to be one of the most closely watched and contentious political contests of the season.
