"Labour won more than half the vote here just 18 months ago, but since then MP Andrew Gwynne was suspended after offensive text messages he had sent were published and he has now resigned from parliament. The region's mayor Andy Burnham saw this contest as an opportunity - a route back to Westminster and perhaps even the Labour leadership. But Burnham was blocked by Keir Starmer and Labour's ruling committee."
"Instead, local councillor Angeliki Stogia has been selected as the Labour candidate. She moved to Manchester from Greece 30 years ago, and tells me she wants to win to stop what she calls the "division" offered by Reform UK. We meet in a park and sit under a cafe's gazebo to escape the rain. Like some of the other candidates I speak to, Stogia is fizzing with nervous energy."
Sir Keir Starmer faces a fragile grip on power with potential challenges from May's Scottish, Welsh and local elections and the imminent Gorton and Denton by-election. Labour previously secured over half the vote in the seat, but MP Andrew Gwynne was suspended after offensive text messages and has resigned. Andy Burnham sought selection but was blocked by Starmer and the party committee. Local councillor Angeliki Stogia is the Labour candidate; she emigrated from Greece 30 years ago and aims to prevent the perceived division posed by Reform UK. The by-election campaign is intense, involving hustings, media and extensive door-knocking.
Read at www.bbc.com
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