A plumber, a GB News presenter and a retired police officer: Who is running in the Gorton and Denton by-election?

The people of Gorton and Denton will be heading to the polls next week to vote in what is expected to be a major test for Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party.

Among the candidates hoping to be elected are a plumber, a GB News presenter and a retired police officer, as Labour tries to fight off the threats from both sides of the political spectrum to retain the north west seat.

In a bid to appeal to disheartened Labour voters in the historically safe seat, the Green Party is pushing local plumber Hannah Spencer, while ex-academic Matt Goodwin, who has been criticised for comments on race and gender, is on Reform UK’s ballot.

Meanwhile, local councillor Angeliki Stogia is fighting to defend Labour’s 13,000 majority, after the party controversially blocked the popular Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from running.

Elsewhere, nine other candidates from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and others will also be standing in the election on 26 February.

As voters prepare to cast their ballots next Thursday, The Independent looks at who the candidates are:

Manchester city councillor Angeliki Stogia has been named as Labour’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election, as the party attempts to defend its majority it received in the 2024 ballot.

Her selection was controversial, having come after the Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) denied Mr Burnham’s request for permission to stand for the party.

The decision sparked anger among Labour backbenchers and voters, amid growing fears that the party will struggle to keep hold of the seat.

Ms Stogia, who is originally from Greece, moved to the UK in the 1990s and has lived in Manchester since 2004.

She has served as the Manchester city councillor for Whalley Range since 2012, and says she is standing to be the MP for Gorton and Denton to “unite our community and stand up to the divisive politics of Reform”.

Ms Stogia – who also stood at the general election in Chester South and Eddisbury but placed second behind the Conservatives – has pledged to deliver “good homes, better transport, and a greener Manchester” if elected.

Sir Keir has backed Ms Stogia, saying the election will be a referendum on “true patriotism” and that Labour is the only party that can defeat the “poisonous division” of Reform.

Despite being blocked from standing in the seat himself, Mr Burnham has also offered his support for Ms Stogia, campaigning alongside her in the constituency.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said he is “confident” that his party’s candidate Hannah Spencer will beat Labour in Gorton and Denton.

Ms Spencer, who is a Trafford councillor and local plumber by trade, has positioned herself as an alternative on the left for disillusioned Labour voters.

Upon the announcement that she would be running as the Green Party candidate, she described the “crucial” by-election as one between herself and Reform UK and between “hope and hate”.

“I work as a plumber, something I’ve done since leaving education at 16. I’m training to become a plasterer too. I’ve lived in the constituency and still work here. So, I know the issues and what people want to change.”

She said: “Only the Green Party can stop Reform in this by-election.”

More recently, Ms Spencer was criticised for a post on Mumsnet in 2021, in which she said she was “glad” to move out of the area, describing the high street in Levenshulme as being full of “money-laundering takeaways”.

However, a Green Party spokesman said the post “expresses disappointment” that such establishments “crowds out independent businesses”, while still makes clear Ms Spencer’s “affection” for the area.

Matt Goodwin is considered to be one of the frontrunners in the upcoming election, having argued Labour have taken constituency for granted.

The ex-academic – who has been backed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson – has called the by-election a “referendum on Keir Starmer”, and pledged to “demand Britain fixes its borders”, and “clamps down on crime” if elected.

Speaking at the opening of the party’s campaign office earlier this month, Nigel Farage claimed the campaign had got off to a “very, very good start”, while polls suggest it is fast becoming a two-horse race between Reform and Labour.

He has hit the headlines after The Independent revealed he had called for women and young girls to be given a “biological reality” check as he warned of an impending “fertility crisis”.

This publication also revealed that he had previously suggested people who don’t have children should be taxed extra as punishment and warned that “many women in Britain are having children much too late in life”.

In response to the comments, the party called for a “grown-up, mature debate about how we can encourage people to have more children and support British families,” and said Mr Goodwin was citing demographer Paul Morland.

The right-wing activist also sparked criticism last year when he was accused of suggesting people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British, even if they were born in the UK.

Retired police officer Charlotte Cadden has been selected as the Tory candidate in the upcoming election.

The police officer of 30 years will be fighting an uphill battle, with the Conservatives being largely left out of the conversation when it comes to the race.

Ms Cadden retired as a deputy chief inspector in 2025, having worked in both Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police.

During her time in the role she set up and chaired the police sex equality and equity network, to challenge workplace discrimination based on sex.

She is also a trustee of Sex Matters, a gender critical campaign group, and has been involved in local Conservative politics in Bolton.

Upon announcing her candidacy Ms Cadden pledged to be a “no-nonsense champion” of Gorton and Denton and criticised Labour for “hammering the local high streets” with higher business rates.

She also dismissed Reform and Greens as offering “fantasy politics built on unfunded promises”.

Local campaigner and former councillor Jackie Pearcy has been selected as the Liberal Democrat’s candidate.

Ms Pearcy, who has a doctorate in nuclear physics, has served as a governor at Oasis Academy Aspinal in Gorton for over 20 years.

She said she was “thrilled” at having been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate, and declared she had been given a “golden opportunity to champion the issues that matter most to people”.

She pledged to champion local issues including fixing the NHS and tackling the cost of living if elected.

The Libertarian Party have announced Dan Clarke as their candidate in the by-election.

Mr Clarke, a northern co-ordinator for the Libertarian Party, has stood twice in parliamentary elections.

He said he decided to stand in the election after seeing “ever increasing encroachment on our civil liberties” and pledged to push for limited government and lower taxes.

The Social Democratic Party has announced Sebastian Moore as its candidate for the Gorton & Denton parliamentary by-election.

Currently serving as the party’s north west chair, Mr Moore previously stood as the party’s candidate in Manchester Central at the 2024 general election.

He has pledged to “rebuild Britain” by “improving housing, strengthening social cohesion, and creating meaningful work”.

Joseph O’Meachair is the Rejoin EU candidate in Gorton and Denton.

Mr O’Meachair is a member of the party’s executive committee, and wants to offer voters a “clear pro-EU alternative”.

“Britain is being humiliated on the world stage,” he said upon announcing his candidacy. “Our self-respect demands that we re-join a strong democratic bloc to resist pressures from some nations whose only aim appears simply to be to further their own narrow self-interest.”

The Official Monster Raving Loony Party has pledged to “bring home the bacon” with their candidate Sir Oink a Lot.

His campaign slogan is ‘Think Big, Vote Pig’.

Hugo Wils is running in the Gorton and Denton by-election as the Communist League candidate.

Mr Wils is a shop floor worker in an aerospace factory and said upon announcing that he was standing for “the peace party”.

Right-wing party Advance UK have put forward Nick Buckley as their candidate.

Mr Buckley previously stood for Reform UK in the Manchester mayoral election in 2021, and then later as an Independent in 2024.

Among his pledges are a public inquiry into grooming gangs, and he has been backed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson.