A by-election will be held in Rochdale on 29 February following the death of Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd, who died on 17 January after announcing he had an incurable form of leukaemia. Sir Tony secured a majority of more than 9,000 in the 2019 general election. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on 13 February, and voters must bring photo ID to polling stations.
Labour candidate Azhar Ali, leader of the Labour group on Lancashire County Council, was chosen from a shortlist of three. However, on 12 February Labour withdrew support after comments he made regarding Israel. It was too late to replace him, so he will remain on the ballot as the Labour candidate but would sit as an independent if elected. Mr Ali has been a councillor in Nelson East since 2013 and served as a government adviser under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Mark Coleman, a 64-year-old former vicar and climate campaigner who was imprisoned for Just Stop Oil protests, is standing as an independent. He said: 'The people of Rochdale deserve the truth - and that is we need radical action on climate right now.' Simon Danczuk, a former Labour MP for Rochdale suspended in 2015 over 'inappropriate behaviour', is standing for Reform UK. He criticised the main parties for failing the town on the economy and immigration.
Liberal Democrat candidate Iain Donaldson promised to hold the government to account on the NHS, cost of living, and sewage pollution. Conservative candidate Paul Ellison, Rochdale Man of the Year 2020 for his work with the Royal Horticultural Society, said he would champion the borough. Other candidates include George Galloway for the Workers Party of Britain, and representatives from the Green Party, Independent Network, and others.
