Now Jeremy Corbyn's Your Party puts pressure on Labour by pulling out of Gorton by-election battle saying priority is defeating Reform
Labour's hopes of winning the Gorton and Denton by-election may have been dented by its former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The hard left former opposition leader's new Your Party outfit confirmed last night it will not stand a candidate in Gorton and Denton later this month.
The party said it had consulted with local members and concluded that standing a candidate would not 'serve our collective goals' of the left-wing movement that is still in the process of getting set up.
A spokesman however said it is 'imperative' that Reform UK does not win the seat and that the left-wing movement will therefore 'actively mobilise against the far-right'.
But many Your Party voters have such a dislike for Labour that they are much more likely to vote for the Green Party in what is expected to be a tight three-horse race on February 26.
It came as Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell claimed Reform is 'bigging up' the Green Party's chances of winning in the Gorton and Denton by-election to 'suppress and divide' her party's votes.
She told MPs at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party last night that the seat is a straight fight between them and Reform, despite polls suggesting it is not that clear cut.
The hard left former opposition leader's new Your Party outfit confirmed last night it will not stand a candidate in Gorton and Denton later this month
A spokesman said it is 'imperative' that Reform UK does not win the seat and that the left-wing movement will therefore 'actively mobilise against the far-right'
It came as Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell claimed Reform is 'bigging up' the Green Party's chances of winning in the Gorton and Denton by-election to 'suppress and divide' her party's votes
Labour has announced Angeliki Stogia, Manchester city councillor for Whalley Range, as its candidate after Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was blocked from standing.
The by-election was prompted when disgraced former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne stood down citing health reasons.
Mr Gwynne won the seat for Labour with more than half the vote – 18,555 – in 2024 while Nigel Farage's Reform UK came second on 5,142 votes, narrowly beating the Greens with 4,810.
Reform UK has chosen GB News presenter and former academic Matt Goodwin to contest the seat while councillor and plumber Hannah Spencer will run for the Greens.
An early opinion poll has suggested Labour's support could crumble in the seat, with Reform and the Greens picking up a larger share of the vote.
However, the sample size in the survey was small, meaning it could have a larger-than-usual margin of error.
A YP spokesman said that as the party was in the process of setting itself up 'we do not believe that a Your Party candidacy would serve our collective goals in this by-election'.
He added: 'It is imperative that Reform is defeated in Gorton and Denton and the far-right tide is beaten back.
'To that end, we will actively mobilise against the far-right, even as we continue to build a mass party that can elect socialist and anti-war candidates across the country.'
The Conservatives have chosen retired police detective Charlotte Cadden to run, while the Liberal Democrats have named local campaigner Jackie Pearcey.
