After a two hour grilling of the three final candidates, I can confirm that the Labour Party PPC to contest the upcoming by-election for Stoke-on-Trent Central is Newcastle Borough Councillor Gareth Snell.
Each candidate gave a 10 address followed by 20 minutes of questions from CLP members.
The candidates were asked the same questions which were on a wide range of topics such as:
- The coup to overthrow Corbyn
- Transport
- Students
- Party unity
- The NHS
- Party unity – locally and nationally
- The economy including Brexit
All three candidates performed exceptionally well and justified their position in the final three.
There were rumblings amongst some of the CLP members about the lack of a local left wing candidate on the shortlist and rumours are that there is some expected fallout over this issue.
The consensus amongst the members was that Trudie McGuinness and Gareth Snell out performed Allison Gardner but it was all to come down to the crucial vote which started at 10pm. The numbers were not disclosed.
Trudie McGuinness was the first to be eliminated. It went down to the last two with Gareth eventually emerging as the winner on second preference votes.
Wol's World 
Not one question about how they would help Stoke-on-Trent? Why a question on students? Surely party unity of the coup are the same subject!
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Sorry, no edit facility … that should read “party unity and the coup”
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Why a question on students!!!! Is this for real? WE have two Universities, a medical school, two colleges and countless schools! Students have been hammered by the Tories (loss of EMA, £9k grants, Careers services devastated, Youth services devastated, changes to voter registration, changes to TV licensing, etc. ) Presumably old Alan doesn’t think that young people deserve social justice. Too much attention and money spent on pensioners – more needed for young people urgently!
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Ian – we have ONE university, the other is in another constituency, indeed, another authority altogether. I’ve been a youth leader, represented the Diocese of Lichfield on an international youth leaders exchange, I work in schools and libraries, youth clubs and community venues. I am very well aware of the need to attract the young vote and to be their advocate – which I have been for over 40 years. You presume far too much.
I’m now fast approaching pensionable age, and for you to suggest that we should have less spent on us is very foolish. According to official statistics, we will pretty soon outnumber you! Be careful on the pavement as we rush at you on our zimmers!
I see that, once again, in the interests of polite discourse, I’m not allowed to ask a simple question. This is pretty typical of the way the Labour Party has treated the electorate in this city. Don’t like the question, shout the questioner down.
Just to remind you, it was the LABOUR PARTY, under Blair, who introduced “student loans”, until then, it was a GRANT, and free to all. I’m not happy about it either, nor the increases, but it won’t be the students who’ll vote in large numbers here; it’ll be the average working person and pensioners.
I would have preferred questions of content, requiring detailed answers, on employment, zero hours contracts, tax dodgers, genuine plans to help drive the city forward, but I suppose I’m not allowed to ask those either, or to have expected them to be asked of the people vying for the post of MY REPRESENTATIVE.
The vote is in a month, the questions and answers need to be better than thus far.
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Totally agree with you Alan. Whilst I will support Gareth as much I can, I am still of the firm belief that the candidate should have been someone from the constituency.
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