Charlotte Cadden chosen as Tory by-election candidate

Former detective Charlotte Cadden has been chosen as the Conservative Party candidate for the forthcoming Gorton and Denton by-election.

She said she wanted "a proper inquiry on grooming gangs" that had operated in the region and "to get rid of carbon tax".

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

In the 2024 General Election, the Conservatives came fifth in the constituency, polling 2,888 votes.

Cadden said: "I know we're starting off from a very small base of Conservative voters from the last election but we've got our own policies – we need to get mobiles phones out of schools, we need to get rid of the carbon tax."

She said "local schools, the NHS and policing" were among her key issues.

Cadden added: "We've seen social justice theories infiltrate our public services and women and girls are no longer safe in some of those services."

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.

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