Plumber‑turned‑politician Hanna Spencer, the 34‑year‑old Green Party candidate, has taken the parliamentary seat for Gorton and Denton in a by‑election result that put a skilled‑trades voice at the heart of Westminster.
To many plumbers, her backstory will sound familiar. Hannah left school at 16 and went straight into plumbing, completing her NVQ before qualifying as a gas engineer. She built her early career the way many do — on the tools across domestic jobs in and around Manchester. Boiler swaps, central heating upgrades, bathroom refits, emergency call-outs — the full mix of day-to-day residential work.
Never one to stand still, she later added heat pump installation to her skillset before squeezing in a plastering qualification as well — finishing the course just two weeks before polling day.
A big turning point came in 2014–15 when she joined the Enterprise programme run by The King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust). The scheme offers mentoring, business planning advice and access to start-up finance for young entrepreneurs. With that support behind her, Hannah launched Hannah’s Household Plumbing and made the jump into full self-employment.
During the by-election campaign she regularly drew on her experience working in local homes, pointing to first-hand knowledge of housing stock, ageing boilers and the real-world challenges around energy bills.
Moving from plumbing and heating engineer to MP isn’t a typical career path, but Hannah’s foundations are firmly in the skilled trades, built on qualifications, site work and running a hands-on local firm.
In her victory speech, the victorious Hannah said:
“I didn’t grow up wanting to be a politician. I am a plumber. I am no different to every single person here in this constituency. I work hard. That is what we do.
“Now, to my customers, I’m sorry, but I think I might have to cancel the work that you have booked in, because I’m heading to Parliament.
“And when I get there, I will make space for everyone doing jobs like mine. We will finally get a seat at the table.”
