Both areas had been safe Labour seats for a long time (though Gorton and Denton and its boundaries were created for the last election, its previous forms have been mainly Labour). Both were set against the backdrop of a deeply unpopular Labour government (in Caerphilly’s case, it was the Welsh Labour government in Cardiff Bay). And in both, Reform committed huge resources towards winning the seat. And finally, in both cases a left-of-centre party besides Labour appeared to have the best chance of stopping Reform. In Caerphilly, it was Plaid Cymru, which won. In Gorton, the Greens’ early polling numbers are strong.