How the ‘unknown’ independent came from nowhere to being lusted after by all political parties

Before February, very few in the political sphere knew the name David Tully, now he’s batting away offers from multiple major parties.

The independent candidate came second in the Rochdale by-election to George Galloway with 6,638 votes – more than Labour and the Conservatives combined. In the aftermath of election day on 29 February, the vehicle repair shop owner has been bombarded with requests for interviews and messages with many wondering how he seemingly came from nowhere, to coming second to a political heavyweight in George Galloway.

The man at the helm of David Tully Ltd is a well known figure in the community, but he was taken aback when he received messages from as far afield as Japan congratulating him on his campaign.

When he put his name in the hat to become the next MP for Rochdale following the death of incumbent Sir Tony Lloyd, no one expected what happened next. Although he was a way off the leader of the Workers Party of Britain on 12,335 votes, this election was seen as a victory for him because of how he obliterated the so-called big parties, Labour and Conservatives, in terms of popularity.

The big question on everyone’s mind is which political party he will join. George Galloway stated his intent to work with Tully after claiming the seat in the early hours of 1 March. But the 49-year-old says he is an independent and will stay that way. As he put it on election night… “I’m just David Tully”.

Sitting down with the Local Democracy Reporting Service two weeks on from polling day, Tully claims he’s been approached by a number of different parties, including a representative from Galloway’s entourage, asking whether he will join them. His answer so far has been no.

Asked whether he is flattered by parties headhunting him, Tully smirked and said: “Conversations I’ve been having with other parties communicating with me since the election, they are seeing if I am standing in the next elections, what my views are and saying ‘are you keeping contact with us’.

“They are basically asking what my future plans are and please consider us to be involved with them. I just say to them I will keep an open book but I’ll tell you straight, I have no intention of joining another party.

“I think I would lose the identity of what I stood for, which is basically mainstream parties doing what they do and losing touch with the community. I can only stand again as an independent and as David Tully.

“I can only ever be that because I feel I would let the people down who did vote for me. That is how it would have to be moving forward.”

Why was David Tully so popular?

David Tully was one of four Independent candidates, five if you count Azhar Ali who saw Labour’s endorsement removed following the revelation of his comments at a previous meeting widely alleged to be antisemitic. The Lancashire County Councillor later apologised for the comments.

Mr Tully was a clear front runner of the independents and the candidates as a whole when the count unfolded – but the big question was why. Lots of national media outlets present at the election count in Rochdale Leisure Centre started to crowd Tully and pepper him with questions as it became apparent he was vying for the top spot on the podium.

His presence and popularity is so organic it borders on a stereotype for a Greater Manchester town. He was born and raised in the area, runs a 58-year-old family business that sees him deal with thousands of bashed up cars a year and grew up playing rugby league at Rochdale Mayfield ARLFC.

Tully played up to the open age bracket and only stopped at the age of 38 – after which he moved into running. His multiple marathons have generated thousands of pounds for charities such as the British Heart Foundation, SG6 Foundation (Stephen Gartland Foundation), and many more worthy causes.
 

Read more: £3,500 raised for Stephen Gartland Foundation with Hadrian's Wall runPublished: 15 May 2018

He said he’s known locally as Forest Gump as he does so many running-based fundraisers. He is a self-confessed socialite, stating his affinity for attending social events and occasions in the area, he said “I will go to the opening of an envelope”. He is a regular attendee at Rochdale AFC games and struggles to walk down the street without seeing someone he knows or is related to.

Being from a big catholic family, seeing relatives is not an uncommon occurrence. He stated that “being a face people know” really stood him in good stead, especially in the areas between Rohdale and Littleborough where he lives and works.

His hopes for politics and a possible rise of Independents

Although he is aware other local independents standing in elections and triumphing is a tall order, Mr Tully is hopeful that what he did can set a standard and ‘turn the tide’ in politics. Although he did not win the Rochdale seat, he certainly put the big parties on notice that there is a taste for a local candidate fighting for local issues.

“It would be nice if that (independent success) snowballed through the nation and we all had independents that looked after the town and community they represent. If every MP looked after the community to the best of their ability and there is a good cabinet then we would all be working towards somewhere we want to be.

“I just feel sometimes MPs are detached from what is on our doorstep and the community. I feel the tide might turn with independents, but it is a massive challenge.

“I brought simplicity to the election, I brought basic things I thought the community needed. The amount of people who told me they never vote and I got them to vote is a great accolade for me.”

 

 

Mr Tully said he noticed that all the talk of the campaign centred on the war in Gaza at first, but when he started to engage voters on local issues – he claims other candidates followed suit. In one of his first videos on social media during his campaign, Mr Tully said his slogan was “putting Rochdale on the map for the right reasons.”

When asked about his future in politics, he said needs to recharge his batteries now, but if he did stand again “it would only be to win”. He has pretty much ruled out standing in the next local election set to take place on 2 May. In regard to the next general election, he has not confirmed whether he will put his name forward again – but it’s clear the success at the by-election has definitely given him a taste for it.

‘My daughters helped boost my popularity on TikTok’

An increase in political interest from the youth and bringing non-voters back to the polls are the two biggest wins for Mr Tully. With his daughters Olivia and Georgia helping boost his social media profile via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, he has noticed a shift in interest of the youth because of his ‘local lad’ status.

He told of how a man came into his Hamer Lane workshop who told him how his two sons, 12 and 14 were around the dining table asking ‘dad are you voting for Tully’?

Telling the story, he explained: “They showed him a video of me and he didn’t know I was standing and he said he knows David Tully who is a local lad and he went on to have a half hour conversation about politics with them.

“He told me it’s incredible what I’ve done because we’ve engaged a different audience and I took a lot from that. What I set out to do was to be a voice for Rochdale and that is what we did achieve really.

“Because we had the story of George Galloway and a Labour candidate coming in from out of town to stand and that was one of the big reasons I stood, I wanted to stand as a local lad so that Rochdale had a voice and shared our concerns. I feel quite proud we got that.

“That last 48 hours before the count we got a bit of that light with David Tully, the local lad. I know George Galloway won, but we had a little bit of hope in Rochdale.

“I just feel we had a voice which people could engage with seeing a local person trying to do good for the town they (the voters) embraced.

“It was hope for someone they could relate to rather than what they’ve been getting in Rochdale over the years – a politician standing up and not really looking into what the people need. When you look at the news or the TV when it comes to Rochdale it’s always about the grooming gangs or RBH (Rochdale Boroughwide Housing) with mould and the young lad who died. If I could put a light on all the good people in the town and what they were doing, that was where my campaign was all about.”

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter