Charlotte Cadden: A despatch from the Gorton and Denton frontline. When the going’s tough – you just keep going

Charlotte Cadden is a former police officer, women’s rights campaigner and was Conservative candidate in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election.

“I’ve been a Police Officer for 30yrs, I know how to solve crime and anti-social behaviour” on repeat!

This was my mantra for three and a half weeks in February, after I was selected to be the Conservative candidate, for one of the most talked about by-elections, in the recently formed constituency of Gorton and Denton, in Greater Manchester.

The election was triggered by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, who had been suspended by Labour for sending offensive Whatsapp messages – hoping an elderly resident concerned about bin collections would soon be dead. There were alleged sexist and racist messages within the legendary “Trigger Me Timbers” group. Several Labour Councillors were also suspended.

So, was the time ripe for voters to consider a representative from a different party, as their Member of Parliament? As it turned out, yes.

I had been a Conservative party member for several years. My own ward Councillor had been David Greenhalgh, who sadly passed away in office in 2021. David had fought hard to be elected in 2019 and became the first Conservative leader of Bolton Council in over 40yrs. He was an inspirational, warm and engaging politician and whenever I met him, he would ask me when I was retiring, so I could stand as a local Councillor and support the team locally.

As a Police Officer in Greater Manchester Police, I was a DCI and the Deputy Director of Intelligence. I also held the role of Force Operation Bridger lead. Bridger covers how the Police keep MPs safe when they are away from Parliament. After the horrific murder of Sir David Amess MP in 2021, the Metropolitan Police Service advertised for a national Bridger lead, to design and implement the changes that Parliament required, to further improve the safety and security of MPs.

I got the job, and it was the most challenging and rewarding role I performed as a Police Officer.

As soon as I retired, I hit the ground running, politically speaking, as I had promised David I would. Police Officers can be members of political parties, but they are not allowed to be politically active. I therefore tracked down my local Councillor Les Webb, and offered him my support. I volunteered to take on a couple of new roles within the party, Deputy Chair Political at a ward level and Deputy Chair Membership & Fundraising, at the Constituency level. Soon after, I started the application process to be considered as a candidate for MP, in advance of the next General Election.

The opportunity to stand as a candidate, however, came a lot sooner than expected. At the end of January 2026, I received an email asking if I wanted to apply to be a candidate in the Gorton & Denton by-election. After a challenging application process, I was selected by the members at Denton Conservative Club, to represent them. I met some incredible people that day, many of whom gave me great advice and practical support during the campaign.

The following day, I received an invite to attend CCHQ to discuss campaign messaging and to meet Kemi Badenoch and Chairman Kevin Hollinrake. This was an incredibly special day. Worth getting the 5am train from Piccadilly to Euston!

When I started on the campaign trail, it felt like getting on a speeding train. I was offered daily opportunities to do interviews on the ground with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4,Tameside Reporter, UnHerd, Jeremy Kyle, Rod Little, Matthew Syed the list was endless! And then there were the hustings!

It’s fair to say that the hustings were pretty stressful and I knew I needed some advice from a professional! My incredible Campaign Manager Matthew Littler, put me in touch with Laura Evans who, in the space of an afternoon, transformed my communication style and gave me some practical tips to manage challenging interviews, and get my key points across. A grilling by Laura and husband Nathan, is all the preparation you need for the most hostile of hustings!

There was a warm reception waiting for Conservative Party canvassers on most of the doorsteps of G&D. This diverse area of Greater Manchester featured in daily national news bulletins, as residents were subjected to near constant door-knocking by teams supporting the 11 candidates in the by-election.

Many residents said they had never met a Conservative candidate in the wild before, but they were willing to listen and happy to tell us what mattered to them most.

Many expressed respect for Kemi and looked forward to PMQs each week, to watch her force the deeply unpopular Labour Government into yet another u-turn. There was no love lost for Labour on those streets. This had been a safe Labour seat for generations but all that was about to change.

Suspended Labour Councillors, a sacked Labour MP, an area laid waste by the Labour Mayor (streets plagued by crime & anti-social behaviour, one train a week from Denton station) and an incompetent Labour Government, mired in scandal after scandal. It seemed likely that Labour was going to lose one of its safest ever seats. The battle was seen to be, therefore, by commentators and constituents alike, between the London TV presenter for Reform, and the ‘working class’ plumber from Hale, for the Greens.

So how did the Conservatives fare on the campaign trail?

I was humbled and will be eternally grateful for all the practical support I received from party members, supporters, Councillors and MPs from across the UK, who came to help knock on doors and campaign with me. The dedication of these people, corralled by Dan and Matthew on a daily basis, twice a day, come rain (lots of) or shine (infrequent) was incredible!

Members of the Shadow Cabinet came up to support the campaign.

Stuart Andrew and Matt Vickers were a real boost to morale and great on the doorstep! The highlight for me personally was when Claire Countinho came to meet me at the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, just outside the constituency. Kemi and Claire have always understood how important sex-based rights are to women, children and many LGB people. The fact that we met to talk about womens’ rights before we went to campaign in G&D was a big deal. Claire is always in the detail. “You do know which party Emmeline stood for as a candidate in 1927?” she asked. “I do,” I replied!

I would like to thank everyone who supported me before, during and after the campaign, with particular thanks to the following incredible people and groups; Tess White MSP, CWO, CfW, Dawn Cobb, LGBT Cons, Andrea Bartlett, Rosie Duffield (Ind) & Baroness Anne Jenkin.

Would I do it all again, knowing what I know now?

Most definitely!

Back to plan A for me, applying to be a candidate in the local elections in May. See you all back on the campaign trail!