Workers Party of Britain name Gorton and Denton by-election pick

The Workers Party of Britain has announced a “star councillor” as its candidate for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

Shahbaz Sarwar is currently a councillor for the party on Manchester City Council, representing the city’s Longsight ward.

The by-election in the Greater Manchester constituency was triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, who stepped down last week for health reasons.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had hoped to stand as Labour’s candidate but was blocked at the weekend by his party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), a move that has angered some MPs.

At the general election in July 2024, George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain got 10.3% of the vote and came fourth.

Gwynne secured 50.8% of the vote, enough for a majority of more than 13,000 ahead of Reform UK (14.1%). The Greens, on 13.2%, came third.

The Conservatives (7.9%) and Liberal Democrats (3.8%) were respectively fifth and sixth.

In a post on X, the Workers Party of Britain described Sarwar as a “star councillor” and said Labour had “forgotten” about them.

Writing on the same social media platform from his own account, Galloway praised Sarwar’s “easy manner” and said he had first met him “on a freezing night” when he was handing out hot food to the homeless.

If Burnham had been successful in a by-election, it would have triggered a mayoral election to replace him in Greater Manchester.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Labour’s resources should be “focused on the elections that we must have, not the elections that we don’t have to have”.

About 50 Labour MPs have signed a letter urging the NEC to reconsider its decision to block Burnham.

Earlier, Reform UK unveiled GB News presenter and academic turned activist Matt Goodwin as its candidate for the by-election.

The date for the by-election has yet to be finalised.