There were clashes, big promises and a disappointing level of Oasis knowledge at the Manchester Evening News’ Gorton and Denton by-election hustings.
With two weeks to go until polling day, five candidates from Labour, the Lib Dems, Greens, Conservatives, and Reform UK battled it out at the M.E.N. offices on Thursday (February 12).
So far, candidates have rowed ‘misleading’ videos, ‘torn-down signs’ and iffy leaflets. It was hardly surprising to see more clashes at the hustings.
WATCH THE FULL HUSTINGS HERE:
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In a campaign in which candidates are keen to stress their Manc credentials, there was a scarcely believable lack of Oasis knowledge, especially when the Gallagher brothers’ Burnage home is in the seat.
There were spats over women’s safety, immigration and anti-social behaviour. Major education investment was wanted, as was putting Denton on Metrolink.
These are six things we learned.
‘I won’t be lectured’
Despite debate being largely well-tempered, some clashes did boil over, most notably between Reform’s Matt Goodwin and Labour’s Angeliki Stogia.
Councillor Stogia, who represents Whalley Range, hit out at former University of Manchester academic Mr Goodwin’s use of private security when he has ‘pedalled rhetoric’ she claimed has made others feel unsafe.
She said: “Matthew, how can you be sat here with a couple of security guys following you around when I, just this morning, was with a group of interfaith women representing our community, who told me that our women in this constituency, they’re scared to leave their house because of the rhetoric that you have been peddling?
“You know you say that people like me that have lived here for over 30 years, this country is not ours and it belongs to us. This is not the Manchester way.”
Angeliki Stogia hit out at Matt Goodwin(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Mr Goodwin said: “I’m not going to be lectured to by a Labour politician from a party that consistently failed to investigate the mass rape and sexual abuse of working class kids in this country for 30 years.
“The reason women and girls are being sexually assaulted, largely, is because your government’s running a policy of open borders, which is putting women and women at risk.
“And the reason I have security is because I have very real threats in an area where people assure me everything is fine. Clearly in some parts of this country integration is not working as it should be. We need a responsible conversation about how this country is not working.”
But Goodwin responded just as firmly(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Jackie Pearcey loves trees
Jackie Pearcey, the Liberal Democrat candidate, knows Gorton and Denton well, serving as a councillor in the old Gorton North ward for 21 years.
She’s picked up a trick or two in her years navigating the corridors of power in the town hall, basing her pitch on the fact she is the only candidate present to have moved there decades ago.
How did she do this? Talking about trees.
“I’m the one on the panel who, back in the 1990s, actually planted some of those trees in Levenshulme Community Forest. It’s pretty hard ground to dig, but we did it and we put those trees there and I think some of them are still alive now,” she said when asked if she’d oppose development near Levenhulme’s ‘secret lake’.
“I was with you planting some of those trees, wasn’t I, Alan?,” she recalled when quizzed about protecting Nutsford Vale, then reminiscing about blocking a Labour council plan to build a school on what she called a ‘toxic waste dump’.
Ms Pearcey’s tree planting days appear to be far from over, though, promising Alan Gibson she’s ‘happy to plant a few more trees, if invited’.
Jackie Pearcey is a veteran campaigner(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
There was something new promised…
Discussion see-sawed between local issues and national debate, such as immigration. There wasn’t a great deal of new policy suggestions from the five candidates, save for Conservative Charlotte Cadden.
In her introduction, she promised to ‘get a new high school in Denton so parents have a choice and kids have a really good start in life’.
Charlotte Cadden wants a new school(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
…and something old backed
Way before the by-election campaign started three weeks ago, as hard as that is to believe, Andy Burnham announced plans to run tram-trains to Denton station, which is currently only served by two trains per week, making it one of Britain’s least-used.
It would be a big deal if it comes off, putting the town on both the Bee Network bus and Metrolink tram maps for the first time.
It’s a plan Tory Ms Cadden, Lib Dem Ms Pearcey, and unsurprisingly Labour’s Coun Stogia, are all ready to get behind, making Denton’s future bright.
Putting politics aside for Burnham
Tram-trains isn’t where work with Burnham will end, though, as all of the candidates largely agreed to ‘put party politics aside’ and work positively with the mayor.
Mr Goodwin said he would ‘champion’ the constituency in a similar way to ‘outspoken’ Mr Burnham. Ms Pearcey pointed out the mayor already has to work closely with the Lib Dem Stockport council leader, Mark Roberts.
Coun Stogia said she’d get on with the Labour mayor, but said she challenged him to speed up rolling out the Bee Network previously.
Green candidate, Trafford councillor, Hannah Spencer told guests she will ‘hold Andy Burnham to account’, having previously stood against him to become mayor in 2024. Ex-cop Ms Cadden said she would use her years of policing to ‘challenge him’, but neither said they’d turn their backs on the man many wanted to stand in this election.
Hannah Spencer smiles after saying she’d hold Burnham to account(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Do you like Oasis? Definitely! Erm, maybe?
Throwing a ‘fun’ question to end a hustings is a tried and tested way to remind voters we have more in common than what divides us. And we can all unite in horror at the panel’s Oasis knowledge after they were asked to name their favourite Gallagher brothers tune.
Ms Pearcey went first, and named an album, ‘Definitely Maybe’. Coun Spencer then said she’d prefer a Stone Roses song – a fine band, but not an answer to the question.
Coun Stogia said ‘Supersonic’ without hesitation.
Ms Cadden also said ‘Definitely Maybe’, before Matt Goodwin finally agreed with Labour and said ‘Supersonic’. He joked it might be ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol at the end of the campaign’.
