Tories put forward transphobe to stand in Gorton and Denton

The Conservative Party has announced its pick for the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, choosing to stand former police officer and member of the LGB Alliance Charlotte Cadden.

The controversial charity Sex Matters, part of the LGB Alliance, has long drawn criticism for the hate group which works to normalise political attacks against trans people.

As a member of that group, this pick likely signals that the Tories are intending on using trans people as a scapegoat in a culture war.

– Charlotte served for 30 years as a Police Officer, both for Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police

– Charlotte is a trustee of the charity Sex Matters, a member of the LGB Alliance Business Forum. She coordinates the Women’s Rights Network in Greater Manchester…

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) February 1, 2026

Glossy slogans with no real solutions for Gorton and Denton

Cadden arguably represents more of the same out-of-touch politics that Gorton and Denton residents have likely had more than enough of. Backed by a party long disconnected from the everyday struggles of working families, Cadden’s right-wing campaign likely relies on glossy slogans rather than real solutions. Constituents should watch closely how Cadden plans to tackle rising living costs, crumbling public services, and declining community wellbeing.

In a northern “worker bee” constituency, austerity and underinvestment have hit residents hardest. Manchester voters need leaders who put people above party politics. However, Cadden’s connections to Sex Matters and LGB Alliance raise serious questions about whether she delivers for the communities she seeks to represent.

In 2022, Consortium, a coalition of LGBT organisations, told a court that LGB Alliance was set up to:

promote transphobic activity rather than pro-LGB activities.

As usual, the Tories have no ideas beyond peddling hatred against minorities. What they do have is the commitment to making life even more unsafe for trans people.

Culture wars whilst ignoring actual abuse

And, the Epstein scandal only underscores how safety is threatened. Yet again, recent reports show how men are all too capable of orchestrating the rape and abuse of women and girls for their own gain. Even, at times, with the aid of women themselves. Therefore, it’s clear that the real threat comes from those who abuse power, men or women, not from trans people, like mainstream media headlines would have us believe.

Rape/sexual assault is about CONTROL & POWER. Arguments about how it is “biological” make no sense. It has zero to do with sex— it is about having control and power over someone in the most heinous and humiliating way someone could think of, which is by violating their body.

— Lexï 🇯🇲 (@lexisvexi) February 1, 2026

Member of a ‘hate group’

As the satirical account below points out, LGB Alliance’s anti-trans rhetoric satisfies qualifying criteria to be designated officially as a hate group:

This is outrageous. We meet all criteria of a hate group by the SPLC. Calling us anything else is a smear. 😡 pic.twitter.com/uysrlzNjGg

— LGB_Alliance (@LGBAlliance_UK) March 30, 2020

This X account shows the attitudes exacerbated by far-right misogyny, targeting vulnerable groups. Legitimising attacks at others simply works to uphold patriarchal dominance in British society:

"Charlotte wasted 30 years of police officers wages that would have been better spent on a male police officer." https://t.co/6LTmWMSEuI

— Rolfy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@__rolfy) February 1, 2026

The Tories’ latest stunts show they’ve learned nothing from their record in government. Ordinary people bore the brunt of brutal austerity, while the wealthiest soared to record profits:

🚨 Congratulations to Charlotte Cadden, our brilliant candidate for Gorton and Denton.

A former police officer and school governor – she’ll be great.

Labour have failed.

Reform and the Greens offer fantasy politics.

Only the @Conservatives have the team and plan to deliver. pic.twitter.com/pF3vxU6iZm

— Matt Vickers MP (@Matt_VickersMP) February 1, 2026

Culture wars: distraction tactics for right-wingers

This candidate announcement from the Tory party makes one thing abundantly clear. Right-wingers are intent on pitching their campaigns firmly on culture war issues around denigrating trans people’s rights under the guise of supporting women’s safety. Yet again the establishment parties are refusing to confront the real issues in society. Instead, true to form, they seek to create even more issues to distract us from the daily struggle affecting everyone’s lives.

After all, if the establishment wants to win out, it can’t let the UK population unite against the threat facing us all.

The super-rich billionaires fleecing us left, right and centre.

Featured image via Just Giving