Meet the candidates who will be battling for your vote this month

Eleven candidates are chasing the Gorton and Denton parliamentary seat after nominations closed this week, the by-election already unfolding in the full glare of the national media.

Triggered by Andrew Gwynne’s exit, the contest is pitched as another test of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership. Already mired in controversy, the race has seen Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham blocked from standing, while senior political figures including Nigel Farage and Zack Polanski have descended on Denton to boost their party’s respective campaigns.

Our reporter Erin Parker profiles the candidates as they make their push for votes ahead of polling day on February 26.

Nick Buckley - Advance Party

Nick Buckley says he is fighting for Gorton & Denton in the hope that ‘it is the first step in saving the country I love’.

He is a British charity worker and political figure, and previously represented Reform UK before joining Advance. He spent 15 years working with the homeless and in 2011 founded the charity The Mancunian Way.

Charlotte Cadden - Conservative

Retired police detective Charlotte Cadden spent 30 years as a police officer, serving with both Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police.

She says her priorities include calling for “a proper inquiry into grooming gangs” that have operated in the region and scrapping what she described as a “carbon tax”.

She said: “I know we’re starting off from a very small base of Conservative voters from the last election, but we’ve got our own policies. We need to get mobile phones out of schools, and we need to get rid of the carbon tax.”

She said local schools, the NHS and policing were among her key issues and also raised concerns about what she described as the impact of “social justice theories” within public services.

“Women and girls are no longer safe in some of those services,” she said.

During her policing career, Ms Cadden set up and chaired the police sex equality and equity network, which aimed to challenge workplace discrimination based on sex. She is also a trustee of Sex Matters, a charity which advocates for gender-critical perspectives and the protection of single-sex spaces. In addition, she has been involved in local Conservative politics in Bolton.

Commenting on her selection, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said Ms Cadden had been “a fierce campaigner on grooming gangs and single-sex spaces”.

He said: “Charlotte’s campaign will give her the opportunity to stand up for vulnerable girls, plain and simple. She will push for the truth and make sure lessons are learned. That’s the sort of straight-talking leadership we need.”

Dan Clarke - Libertarian Party

Dan Clarke is the Northern Co-ordinator for the Libertarian Party and is a seasoned campaigner, having twice stood in Parliamentary elections and at local council level on multiple occasions.

“I’m standing for the Libertarian party in the Gorton and Denton by election, because I see an ever-increasing encroachment on our civil liberties,” he states.

“As a seasoned campaigner I have always pushed for a limited government and lower taxes. Which is a far cry to what we have at present.

“Gorton and Denton deserves far better than what they have had so far. Gorton and Denton deserves a Parliamentarian that will be held accountable by his constituents, while holding this government to account.”

Matt Goodwin - Reform UK

Matt Goodwin was named Reform UK’s candidate at a conference held at Vault 2 in Denton last week where Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, formally introduced him.

A broadcaster and political commentator, he spoke of his strong personal ties to Greater Manchester, describing Manchester as “the greatest city in the world” saying it had played a defining role in his life.

His family has long connections to the area. His grandfather worked full-time in a Manchester steel factory, while his grandmother was employed by the University of Salford, where Goodwin later studied.

Both of his parents worked for the NHS in Manchester, with his father running the Greater Manchester Health Authority and his mother working for the local health board after attending college in the city.

Goodwin was the first in his family to attend university at Salford. During his time as a student, he worked to support himself, including delivering fast food in the Gorton and Denton area.

“Manchester made me,” he told supporters. “I’m incredibly grateful to this city and this area. It gave me my start in life, and I want to give something back.”

He said the by-election was an opportunity for local residents to make their voices heard nationally.

“This by-election is a referendum on Keir Starmer. It’s a chance for the people of Gorton and Denton to have their say and to make history.”

He pledged to stand up for local residents and said his priorities would include border policy, investment in the NHS, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and addressing concerns about housing, high streets and small businesses.

He also criticised what he described as a long-term neglect of towns outside London and said political power needed to be devolved away from the capital.

Joseph O’Meachair - Rejoin EU Party

Joseph O’Meachair stands for the Rejoin EU Party, founded in 2020 in response to the UK’s departure from the European Union.

The party argues that Brexit has made trading with the European market more complex. O’Meachair is a member of the party’s executive committee.

The Rejoin EU Party said the race had been opened up following Labour’s decision not to allow Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to stand in the by-election. 

In a statement, the Rejoin EU Party said it wanted to “offer voters a clear pro-EU alternative to the cautious, ineffective or, in some cases, downright hostile policies on Europe held by other major parties”.

Speaking about his candidacy, O’Meachair said: “Britain is being humiliated on the world stage. Our self-respect demands that we rejoin a strong democratic bloc to resist pressures from some nations whose only aim appears simply to be to further their own narrow self-interests.”

Sebastian Moore - Social Democratic Party

Standing for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is Sebastian Moore. He currently serves as the SDP’s Northwest Chair and has played a key role in building the party’s presence across the region.

After spending several years working abroad, he returned to the UK in 2022 and made Manchester his home. He previously stood as the SDP candidate for Manchester Central at the 2024 General Election.

Professionally, he has worked in education and is also a volunteer at Burnage food bank. The party says his experience has given him first-hand insight into the challenges facing local communities, including housing pressures, employment opportunities and the rising cost of living.

Announcing his candidacy, he said: “I’m standing in this by-election to set out a positive vision for our area and our country. If we want to rebuild Britain, we have to start in places like Gorton and Denton: improving housing, strengthening social cohesion, and creating meaningful work, with communities empowered to drive the change that’s needed. I’m proud to be standing in the city I now call home.”

SDP leader William Clouston praised his work within the party and his understanding of the region.

“Sebastian has been tireless in building our party across the Northwest. He understands the concerns of working people in constituencies like Gorton and Denton - on housing, on jobs, on the cost of living. He provides a serious alternative.”

Jackie Pearcey- Liberal Democrat

Local campaigner Jackie Pearcey represents the Liberal Democrats. Ms Pearcey, who has lived locally for decades, says she wants to give residents a stronger voice on issues that matter most, including fixing the NHS, tackling the cost of living and supporting local high streets and businesses.

A long-standing community campaigner, she has built a reputation for standing up for residents and is pledging to deliver real change for people in Gorton and Denton, who she says, “deserve so much better than this endless soap opera”.

She criticised the Labour government, saying it had promised change but was instead delivering “the same old chaos” seen under the Conservatives, while failing to focus on pressures facing local communities.

She also said residents were being let down by politicians more interested in fighting for power than addressing everyday concerns such as access to healthcare and rising living costs.

She added: “I’m thrilled to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the constituency where I live. Voters in Gorton and Denton deserve so much more than the failing Labour government or the divisive politics of Reform UK.

“We have a golden opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to people - the cost of living, fixing the NHS and supporting our local high streets and businesses. I’ve got a proven track record of delivering for residents and I’ll continue to fight for the people of Gorton and Denton through this election and beyond.”

Sir Oink A-Lot - Monster Raving Loony Party

Sir Oink A-Lot is the Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate.  The Loony Party say they are no pigs in a poke but are hamming it up and bringing home the bacon with their local candidate Sir Oink-a-Lot.

His campaign slogan is ‘Think Big, Vote Pig’, those trotters have left the sty and hit the hustings in a crackling good start. All other candidates in this by-election talk hogwash and make a pig’s ear of politics compared to our Sir Oink who is without doubt the whole hog, the party say.

“Our other Loony representative Farmin’ Dave was unable to help collect nominations as he is abroad attending a Moldovian Mangelwurzel Convention. Sir Oink snouted out all signatures ably assisted by Andy at the ‘Jolly Hatters’.”

Hannah Spencer - Green Party

Hannah Spencer, a working-class plumber, was selected after a hustings event attended by party members, with the Greens emphasising their democratic process in choosing candidates.

The announcement was made alongside a public thank-you to those who attended the hustings, with the party stating that “our members make these important decisions, we function democratically.”

Speaking after her selection, Spencer described her background as one of her greatest strengths.

“I’m not your average MP, and that’s my greatest strength,” she said. “A working-class plumber is an unusual MP, but it will also smash people’s perceptions of our party as middle-class and southern. I’m not just Reform’s worst nightmare, but my candidacy will give the entire Westminster establishment a headache because they can’t put me in a box. I’m not the son of a toolmaker; I’m an everyday tool user.”

Drawing on her professional experience, she said her approach to plumbing reflects how she would work as a Member of Parliament.

“As a plumber I know you have to work through things methodically, root out the cause of the blockage, ask the right questions, use the right tools, ask for advice, and make the decision,” she said. “That’s what I will do as your MP, using the evidence, speaking to the people who really know the facts, and making the right decisions.”

Spencer said she knows the Gorton and Denton area well and believes her local connections will be key to the campaign. She outlined her priorities as cutting the cost of living and drawing attention to Britain’s role in the conflict in Gaza.

“I’ll relentlessly pound pavements and the airwaves with the message that Greens will cut the cost of living and expose Britain’s role in the Gaza genocide,” she said. “I know how we win this, let’s do it together.”

She added: “The party are going to throw the kitchen sink at this by-election, so we’re going to need a plumber.”

Angeliki Stogia - Labour Party

Standing for Labour, Angeliki Stogia is a Labour councillor for the Whalley Range ward.

As her candidacy was announced, she told a crowd of party activists: “I am absolutely thrilled and excited, and I want to thank everyone who came to the hustings. I am a proud Mancunian woman. I have walked the streets of this constituency.”

Flanked by Labour party chairwoman Anna Turley and deputy leader Lucy Powell, Stogia said: “This is about Manchester. Manchester is a city united; we are rejecting division.

“I am so looking forward to going out on the doorstep and winning this for Labour.”

Hugo Wils - Communist Party

Hugo Wils, 38, is the Communist League candidate. He is a shopfloor aerospace factory worker and member of Unite the Union.

“The Communist League is the peace party!” he states.

“The march to another world war is a giant attack on the desire of working people to live in peace - and on our living standards, jobs and working conditions.

“Only the working class can prevent another global slaughter by taking political power into our own hands,” he adds.

“These are the central issues, not media hype on the turmoil within and between Labour, Conservative, Reform, Greens and other capitalist parties.”

Hugo opened his campaign by joining the solidarity picket with striking refuse workers in Birmingham last Friday.

Hugo has built rallies against Jew-hatred, from responding to the October 7, 2023, Hamas/Iran pogrom to the Heaton Park synagogue killings.

He has made also made solidarity visits to Cuba. He says: “Defend, emulate Cuba’s socialist revolution!”