Labour needs a Brexiteer to see off UKIP threat in Stoke, campaigners claim

Party members must pick a Brexiteer candidate in Stoke if they are to see off the challenge posed by UKIP, a group of Labour campaigners claimed today.

A report published by Labour Leave called on activists to show the “dynamism, pragmatism and the bravery to select a staunch Brexiteer” which, it said, represents the only possibility of holding on to the Stoke-on-Trent Central seat.

The recommendation, contained in the Labour Can Win document, is likely to prove controversial as the local constituency Labour Party (CLP) gathers tonight to select one of three shortlisted candidates.

The final hustings is a battle between Allison Gardner, a councillor in Newcastle-under-Lyme and chair of the local constituency Labour Party, Trudie McGuinness, a Staffordshire activist and GMB member who sits on Labour’s national policy forum, and Gareth Snell, the former leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme council, who still serves on the authority.

Stephen Hitchin, a doctor and Army reservist who had been shortlisted, dropped out this morning citing the need to dedicate himself to his family and his job in an Accident and Emergency department.

A poll produced for Labour Leave said UKIP is leading Labour in Stoke-on-Trent Central by 35 to 25 per cent, with nearly a quarter of the electorate undecided. This deficit could be turned around to a 43/30 advantage if it chose a Brexit candidate. The accuracy of the survey has come into question, however, because of the sample size of just 182.

Paul Nuttall, leader of UKIP, is standing with a pitch to working class Brexit voters.