Labour shortlist for Rochdale seat announced

The Labour shortlist of candidates for members to choose from for the next prospective parliamentary candidate for the party has been drawn up.

Three candidates have made the list; political journalist Paul Waugh, Lancashire Labour group leader Azhar Ali and Wigan councillor Nazia Rehman.

Following the death of the Rochdale MP, Sir Tony Lloyd on 17 January, a by-election for the Rochdale seat will be held this year with a general election to follow by January 2025.

A date for the by-election has not been set as yet.

Members will select the candidate they want to represent the party on Saturday 27 January.

 

🌹I'm happy to have been shortlisted tonight to be Labour's candidate for #Rochdale. Tony Lloyd was a great man, a friend, and Rochdale's champion. No one wanted this by-election, but after 14 years of the Tories, it's critical we send Rishi a message, fight for every vote & win. pic.twitter.com/y0v0Dbzi6Q

— Azhar Ali OBE (@CllrAzharAli) January 24, 2024

 

Paul Waugh

Paul Waugh is the chief political commentator for the i newspaper and a presenter of the BBC Radio 4 show Week in Westminster. He said he was approached by the Labour party to stand.

He was born at Birch Hill Hospital and was raised on a council estate opposite the football club. In an interview in 2021, he said: “I started supporting Rochdale because I lived at the back of the ground. The football floodlights went into the bedrooms in our house. I didn’t have much choice but to support Rochdale.”

“I’ve got an identical twin brother called Mark and my earliest memory of Rochdale was mucking about in Healey Dell with my pals. When I was a geeky teenager, I used to go to Tiff’s nightclub in the town.”

Waugh went to Meanwood Primary School and then to Oulder Hill Community School before getting a place at Oxford University.

“I had some fantastic teachers,” he said. “I went to Cardiff Journalism College and started working in local newspapers and eventually politics.”

The i newspaper has confirmed Paul would not be returning to his role as chief political commentator, and that he is “also on leave for the duration of the contest, before a decision on any future columns in a different capacity.”

In a column for the newspaper, he said: “After a quarter of a century sitting in the House of Commons Press Gallery, I feel it’s time to cease being a spectator and start being a player.”

 

 

 

Azhar Ali

Councillor Azhar Ali, leader of Lancashire County Council’s Labour group, previously made the Labour longlist as the Heywood and Middleton parliamentary candidate. Rochdale councillor Elsie Blundell was named the preferred candidate.

The “Pendle born-and-bred” councillor for Nelson East was leader of Pendle Council from 2000 to 2003, having joined the council when he was 24.

He started his political career as the leader of the Students Union at Nelson and Colne College and was the first British Asian to be appointed chairman of a UK regional assembly (the North West Regional Assembly, which was abolished in 2008).

Councillor Ali is a Burnley FC fan and was also awarded an OBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list for his service to the community in the North West.

Nazia Rehman

Councillor Nazia Rehman is the cabinet member for Resources, Finance and Transformation at Wigan Council and is a board member of the Growth Company. She was first elected to Wigan Council in 2016 and has held a number of positions, including a member of Audit Committee and SCRE.

Councillor Rehman has also served as the lead member for Community and Family Safety and represented the Council on the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel.

An ACCA- and ACA-qualified accountant, she represents Wigan Council on North West Employers Association, Statutory Functions Committee, GM Reform Executive and Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation Joint Management Committee.