Labour pick Angeliki Stogia for Gorton by-election

Angeliki Stogia has been selected as the Labour Party candidate for the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

The Manchester councillor was chosen to represent the party after Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was denied permission to enter the contest a week ago.

Earlier on Saturday, Burnham posted on X: "Big congrats Angeliki! I know you will do a great job. I will be there for you whenever you need me."

The by-election on 26 February in the Greater Manchester constituency was prompted by the resignation of former MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds.

As her candidacy was announced, Stogia told a crowd of party activists that she was "so looking forward to going out on the doorstep and winning this for Labour".

Currently a Labour councillor for the Whalley Range ward, she added: "I am absolutely thrilled and excited, and I want to thank everyone who came to the hustings.

"I am a proud Mancunian woman. I have walked the streets of this constituency."

Flanked by Labour party chairwoman Anna Turley and deputy leader Lucy Powell, Stogia said: "This is about Manchester.

"Manchester is a city united, we are rejecting division."

She added that she felt this was "a moment of choice for Gorton and Denton - between a community that stands united or politics that divides neighbour from neighbour".

"I'm on the side of unity, fairness and hope," she said.

At the general election in 2024, Gwynne won the seat for Labour with more than half of the vote - 18,555. Reform UK came second on 5,142 votes, narrowly beating the Greens with 4,810.

Burnham announced last week that he was seeking permission to represent Labour at the by-election but was blocked a day later by the party's ruling body.

Defending its decision, Labour's national executive committee (NEC) said that if he won the seat, it would trigger an "unnecessary election" for the mayoralty and divert party resources from other elections.

Had he been elected as an MP, Burnham was widely seen as a potential challenger to Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.

But speaking on BBC Radio Manchester on Thursday, he said he did not try to "undermine the government" with the bid, and he simply wanted to stand to "fight the politics of Reform" and "defend Greater Manchester from being picked apart".

The 56-year-old said he felt he had been "uniquely positioned" to fight Reform based on his record, but he "accepted" the decision of the NEC.

The NEC's decision to block Burnham angered some Labour MPs, with about 50 signing a letter in protest.

Stogia previously stood for Labour at the 2024 general election in the constituency of Chester South and Eddisbury, where she was defeated by the Conservatives.

A full list of candidates for Gorton and Denton can be found here and will be updated as others are declared.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, external, X, external, and Instagram, external. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.