Retired police detective selected as Conservative candidate for by-election

Retired police detective Charlotte Cadden has been selected as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

The by-election will take place on 26 February following the resignation of Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds.

Ms Cadden spent 30 years as a police officer, serving with both Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police. Speaking after her selection, she said her priorities included 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.”

In the 2024 General Election, the Conservatives came fifth in Gorton and Denton, polling 2,888 votes. Labour retained the seat with more than half of the vote, with Mr Gwynne receiving 18,555 votes. Reform UK came second on 5,142 votes, narrowly ahead of the Green Party on 4,810.

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

“We’ve seen social justice theories infiltrate our public services, and 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.”

The Gorton and Denton constituency, which covers parts of Tameside and Manchester, has traditionally been a strong Labour seat. The outcome of the February by-election will determine who represents the area at Westminster following Mr Gwynne’s departure from Parliament.

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, Angeliki Stogia for Labour and Joseph O’Meachair for Rejoin EU Party.