Counting begins in south-east Manchester after one of the most unpredictable byelections in recent years

• Analysis: What a win would mean for Reform, Greens and Labour

The polls have closed in the three-way battle for Gorton and Denton in south-east Manchester after one of the most unpredictable byelections in years.

The Green party leader Zack Polanski said before voting that his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK to overturn Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, and that Labour will need to “search their conscience” if Reform UK wins.Keir Starmer’s party had targeted left-leaning voters in the Greater Manchester seat with claims that only Labour can see off Nigel Farage’s Reform, saying that a vote for the Greens was “in effect, a vote for Reform”.