Joseph O’Meachair, a member of The Rejoin EU Party’s executive committee, is standing as our candidate in the forthcoming Gorton & Denton by-election on Thursday February 26.

The decision of the constituency’s Labour MP Andrew Gwynne to stand down on health grounds triggered the election, which looked set to be a probable win for Labour if the party had endorsed pro-EU Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham as its candidate. However, Labour’s decision to block Burnham from standing appears to have thrown the contest wide open.

The Rejoin EU Party consequently has decided to stand a candidate who can offer voters a clear pro-European alternative to the cautious, ineffective or, in some cases, anti-EU policies held by other major parties standing in this election.

O’Meachair, who lives in the North West and has already been out and about speaking to voters in Gorton & Denton, said: “I’m standing to offer voters the opportunity to send a strong message to Keir Starmer, Labour and others – that politicians can no longer ignore the damage caused by Brexit and that we need to re-join the EU.

“Britain is being humiliated on the world stage. Our self-respect demands that we re-join a strong democratic bloc to resist pressures from some nations whose only aim appears simply to be to further their own narrow self-interest.”

Rejoin EU Party chairman Brendan Donnelly said: “Re-joining the EU should not be a vague aspiration for the remote future. It’s an urgent task for the here and now.

“An increasing number of voters realise the damage Brexit is doing to this country. This by-election will allow the voters of Gorton & Denton to call for an end to the chaos by voting for our candidate Joseph O’Meachair.”