lee anderson kicks off campaign for crucial by-election with spectacular blunder

Despite what he says,Lee Anderson was not in Gorton & Denton (Picture: Lee Anderson)

Reform MP Lee Anderson has been ridiculed by Labour after posting a picture from the wrong constituency as campaigning begins for a crucial by-election.

Voters in Gorton & Denton will go to the polls on February 26 to decide who will replace former MP Andrew Gwynne,who stepped down on health grounds last week.

According to the bookies,it’s looking like a race between Reform – who came second in the seat in 2024 – and the Green Party,who are surging under new leader Zack Polanski.

As the campaign kicked off last weekend,Anderson posted three photos on X taken with a crowd of campaigners outside Stanley House Function Rooms.

He wrote: ‘Gorton & Denton. A cold but productive day in what will be a hotly contested seat.’

But Stanley House Function Rooms are not in Gorton & Denton.

Want to understand more about how politics affects your life?

Metro's senior politics reporter Craig Munro breaks down all the chaos into easy to follow insight,walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here.They can be found just across the boundary in neighbouring constituency Ashton-under-Lyne – represented by former Deputy PM Angela Rayner.Speaking to the Daily Mirror,Rayner said: ‘Local residents in Gorton & Denton deserve a local MP who is focused on delivering on local residents’ priorities like tackling the cost of living.‘That’s what Labour will be speaking to voters about every day on streets across Gorton & Denton while [Reform leader Nigel] Farage gets round to finally learning how to use Google Maps and actually work out where they live.’Angela Rayner spotted an opportunity to take the mick (Picture: Oli Scarff/AFP)Anderson later pushed back against the idea he had no idea where he was when he posted the pictures,describing it as ‘absolute rubbish’.Writing on X,he said: ‘Over 100 volunteers turned up to campaign in the constituency. A Labour constituency that has had no representation in Parliament for nearly a year.‘Our volunteers came from far and wide and a location with a big enough car park to accommodate our volunteers was chosen just outside the constituency.‘All volunteers then left to campaign in the constituency. There is nothing to see here other than desperation from a desperate party.’He added: ‘Angela doesn’t even know which house she lives in.’Labour faces a tough battle to hold onto the seat it won at the 2024 election,though ex-MP Gwynne was suspended from the party last year over offensive Whatsapp messages.On Sunday,the party’s ruling committee confirmed it would not allow Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to run – despite some seeing him as Labour’s best shot at winning.