Labour chooses 'life-long' socialist MEP to fight Gorton seat

Labour has selected a member of the European parliament (MEP) to fight a byelection in Gorton, Manchester, following the death of Sir Gerald Kaufman last month.

Afzal Khan – a solicitor, self-declared “lifelong socialist” and MEP for the north-west of England since 2014 – beat four local councillors from the working class Manchester constituency in a close-run contest on Wednesday night. He will attempt to defend Kaufman’s 24,079 majority against an attempt by George Galloway to return to parliament, as well as representatives from all the major parties.

Born in Pakistan in 1958, Khan came to the UK as an adopted child when his parents could no longer afford to raise him. He grew up in Lancashire, leaving school with no qualifications at 16 and going on to work as a labourer, bus driver and Greater Manchester police officer. He then studied law as a mature student and became a partner at a firm of solicitors in Oldham before entering politics in 2000. In 2005 he became Manchester’s youngest and first Asian, Muslim lord mayor.

Until recently Khan was vice-chair of the European parliament’s security and defence sub-committees. During the short selection campaign it emerged he had accused Israelis of acting “like Nazis” in Gaza on Twitter in 2014. He deleted the tweet after being criticised by a Jewish organisation and apologised for the offence caused.

Some 551 local party members voted on Wednesday night from an all-Asian shortlist that was criticised by Galloway as “the latest in a long line of insults delivered by mainstream parties to local communities”. Khan narrowly beat local councillor Yasmine Dar, who had the backing of Momentum, the organisation formed out of the Jeremy Corbyn for Leader campaign.

If elected Khan will become the second non-white greater Manchester MP after Yasmin Qureshi who represents Bolton South East.