SDP candidate Sebastian Moore calls for “rebuilding community” in Gorton and Denton

The Social Democratic Party has selected 29-year-old Sebastian Moore as its candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election on 26 February.

Mr Moore, who serves as the party’s Northwest Chair, previously stood in Manchester Central at the 2024 General Election. He works in education and volunteers at Burnage food bank and says his experience has given him insight into the pressures facing local families.

Speaking to the Tameside Reporter, he focused on housing, antisocial behaviour and what he describes as the need to rebuild social cohesion.

HMOs and housing

Residents have raised concerns about the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in parts of the constituency.

Mr Moore said while the SDP does not have a specific standalone policy on HMOs, the issue ties into the party’s broader principles.

“Our slogan is ‘family, community, nation’,” he said. “We want communities where people know each other.”

He argued that high levels of shared and short-term housing can contribute to neighbourhoods where residents feel disconnected.

“I think HMOs are one byproduct of a culture that’s become very individualistic and has lost those underlying principles which united us,” he said, pointing to both internal and international migration and changing work patterns as factors that have altered traditional community bonds.

He said the answer lies in strengthening family life, encouraging long-term settlement and increasing housing supply through national housebuilding programmes.

Antisocial behaviour and enforcement

Antisocial behaviour, including shoplifting and bike theft, was another recurring issue raised by residents.

Mr Moore said he believes low-level crime has become normalised, partly because of a perception that offences are not consistently enforced.

“I know people who’ve had bikes stolen. My bike was stolen,” he said. “Often people don’t even report these things because they don’t think anything will be done.”

Drawing on his experience volunteering at a local food bank, he described a recent conversation with a service user whose bike had been stolen but who chose not to contact police.

“That sense of indifference is really damaging,” he said.

He referred to the “broken windows theory” - the idea that visible signs of disorder can encourage further crime - and said communities must reassert higher expectations.

“If you allow litter to pile up, it degrades the expectation of what that street should look like,” he said. “Zero litter should be the expectation.”

Alongside enforcement, he called for renewed investment in youth provision, community groups and sports facilities, arguing that young people need structured activities and stronger community ties.

Living locally

Mr Moore lives in Old Moat, just outside the constituency boundary, and said he would be open to moving into Gorton and Denton if elected.

“I live very close anyway,” he said. “If I was to be the MP, I’d be very open to moving.”

He said Manchester has been his home since returning to the UK in 2022 after several years working abroad, and that he is proud to be standing in the city he now calls home.

A broader message

Asked why voters should choose him and the SDP, Mr Moore said he wants to move beyond what he described as “voting for the lesser of two evils”.

“I’m not here just to be elected so I can have a nice job in Parliament,” he said. “I’m here to radically change the political system in the UK.”

He argued that Britain needs cheaper energy, better housing and a renewed sense of national confidence.

“We can actually aspire to these things,” he said. “But we’ve got to start rebuilding.”

Voters in Gorton and Denton will head to the polls on 26 February to choose their next MP.