Rochdale by-election candidates discuss the town's needs

Two candidates who were due to take part in a BBC debate about the Rochdale by-election have spoken about their priorities after it was cancelled.

The debate did not take place after two other participants withdrew before it was due to be broadcast.

Reform UK's Simon Danczuk said his "only priority" was Rochdale and tackling crime in the town was vital.

George Galloway of the Workers Party for Britain said he wanted to save Rochdale AFC and reopen the market.

A number of the 11 candidates standing in the by-election had been due to take part in the debate.

It had to be cancelled after two of the candidates withdrew in the last 24 hours.

The Labour candidate Azhar Ali, who has been suspended by the party, said he could not participate due to family reasons, before the Liberal Democrats' Iain Donaldson also pulled out.

Guy Otten of the Green Party and Conservative Paul Ellison had already said they were unavailable, which left only Mr Danczuk and Mr Galloway able to participate.

All 11 candidates have provided the BBC with minute manifestos ahead of the vote on 29 February.

Mr Danczuk told BBC North West that while others talked about the conflict in Gaza, "I'm talking about Rochdale".

He said the town's Labour council had "failed to protect the victims in the grooming scandal" and there were also issues with burglaries.

"There's a real issue about protection and Greater Manchester Police needed to step up to the mark," he said.

Mr Danczuk, who was previously the town's Labour MP before he resigned from the party following his suspension, said people in Rochdale were "disillusioned" with politics.

"The truth is the people in Rochdale feel let down by the mainstream parties," he said.

He said the Conservatives had "let people down in terms of the economy, because that has stagnated nationally and that has an impact on Rochdale" and had "let the country down in terms of illegal immigration", which had left the town taking "a disproportionate number of asylum seekers over the years", causing "local tensions".

He said Labour had also "really let the town down, because they run the local council" and they had "not protected young people in terms of the grooming scandal", while also failing to "stimulate the local economy".

"I'm there, talking with Reform UK, for a radical change in British politics and representing Rochdale," he added.

Mr Galloway, who leads his party, said he wanted to "make Rochdale great again".

He said he was working to save Rochdale AFC, which was "heading for liquidation", and get it back into the Football League, as without it, the town was "literally without a heart".

"I'm calling on the council to step in immediately to stop it hitting the wall," he said.

The former Labour and Respect Party MP said he was working on a plan that will allow the council to buy the ground, which would allow a consortium to be formed that could buy the ground back.

"They've got the collateral of the stadium, which is worth far more than is needed right now to staunch the flow, so the council's risking nothing and they'll get their money back," he said.

He said he was also wanted to reopen the covered market at the Exchange Shopping Centre and bring clothing giant Primark to the town.

"The one thing that unites everybody in Rochdale of all political stripes is that the town hall needs change," he said.

"Rochdale should be a very prosperous place, it once was and we need to get that back."

He said poverty was "a real thing" in the town, despite it being "20 minutes from this great metropolis of Manchester", which made it "quite hard to see how the political leaders have let it get to the stage".

Mr Galloway, who previously stated that the main focus of his campaign would be calling for a resolution to the conflict in Gaza, said that was "only one of many" issues.

"The job of an MP is local, national and international and I think I'm the best candidate for that," he added.

"I'll be fighting for every vote in every street every part of the constituency right up until the last hour, the last minute."

Coverage of the by-election on 29 February, which was called following the death of Sir Tony Lloyd in January, will continue across the BBC.

Why not follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]