# Manchester Gorton by-election

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manchester-gorton-by-election/781372>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [March 4, 2017, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manchester-gorton-by-election/781372 "2017-03-04T12:09:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manchester-gorton-by-election/781372/1 "2017-03-04T12:09:44Z")

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The sitting MP, Gerald Kaufman, has died. So there will be a by-election. Labour’s current majority is 24,000, so they’re not really in danger of losing the seat, though stranger things have happened at by-elections, especially as Kaufman had a huge incumbency factor having represented the seat for so long. But it’s going to be interesting to see how large a drop - if any - there will be.

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manchester-gorton-by-election/781372/2 "2017-03-04T13:11:33Z")

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This is going to be fun. The battle within the Constituency Labour Party is going to be epic. May 4 is a likely date and that’s also the day of the first election for Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Manchester Groton was competitive for the Lib Dems in 2010, but their disastrous coalition killed them in 2015, although the Greens squeaked by the Tories to finish second.

> **[The Labour battle for Gorton](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/the-labour-battle-for-gorton-12677245)**
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> The internal fight to replace Sir Gerald Kaufman is expected to be bitter – and some Labour MPs fear a Lib Dem surge if it goes wrong

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**Author:** ![phaemon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/977dab/32.png) [@phaemon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaemon)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manchester-gorton-by-election/781372/3 "2017-03-28T13:54:33Z")

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It is indeed May 4th. Afzal Khan has been chosen as Labour candidate (I guess there will be a few MEPs looking for other work over the next year or so!). And George Galloway is standing as an Independent.

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**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manchester-gorton-by-election/781372/4 "2017-03-28T16:48:49Z")

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> [@phaemon](#):
>
> And George Galloway is standing as an Independent.

No show without Punch…