Rejoin EU Party names candidate for Gorton and Denton by-election

Joseph O’Meachair has been confirmed as the Rejoin EU Party candidate for the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

The election, which will take place on 26 February, follows the resignation of the constituency’s former MP Andrew Gwynne, who stepped down on health grounds.

Founded in 2020, the Rejoin EU Party says it was established in response to the UK’s departure from the European Union, arguing that Brexit has made trading with the European market more complex. O’Meachair is a member of the party’s executive committee and will represent the party in the Greater Manchester contest.

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. Labour has instead selected Angeliki Stogia, a current Manchester councillor, as its candidate.

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.”

O’Meachair previously stood as the Rejoin EU Party candidate in Preston at the 2024 general election, where he received 216 votes. That seat was won by Labour.

The candidates that have been announced so far are Matt Goodwin for Reform UK, Hannah Spencer for the Green Party, Jackie Pearcey for the Liberal Democrats, Sebastian Moore for the Social Democratic Party and Angeliki Stogia for Labour.