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After Sam Wheeler was kept off the shortlist by moderate Labour MPs, I understand from multiple sources Manchester Momentum has swung behind Moston Councillor Yasmin Dar.

The Sam Wheeler operations centre that was set up with dozens of activists, is now phoning members tonight in Gorton to support Dar. The Wheeler campaign think they signed up a significant number of pledges, that they can now switch to Dar. They achieved this through phoning the Momentum membership in Manchester Gorton. 

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WriteYou can exclusively reveal the shock all BAME shortlist (as originally predicted by WriteYou as attempt to stop Sam Wheeler) for Manchester Gorton that will go into Wednesday's hustings is:

Afzal Khan MEP

Councillor Luthfur Rahman

Councillor Amina Lone

Councillor Yasmin Dar

Councillor Nasrin Ali

This show that's opponents of Jeremy Corbyn's preferred candidate, Sam Wheeler, have been successful in keeping him off the shortlist. There have been ferocious efforts to keep him off. He was only on the long list as a result of lobbying from Unite.

A Labour source tells me, "There were huge efforts over the weekend to keep Sam Wheeler off the shortlist led by many Labour MPs". 

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After we exclusively revealed the longlist for the Labour Party selection in Manchester Gorton, I understand that Sam Wheeler was nearly kept off the list until an intervention from Unite the Union. 

A senior Labour source told me that the shortlisting panel decided to grade the candidates based on their experience particularly in elected office. This is why 9 of the 10 candidates are elected officials. This was clearly an attempt to keep Mr Wheeler off the longlist.

A Labour MP said that Jeremy Corbyn’s office failed to intervene and that Unite the Union’s Political Director Anneliese Midgley stepped in to ensure that Mr Wheeler made the longlist.  

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Exclusively revealed by WriteYou this is the long-list of candidates for Manchester Gorton for the Labour Party selection. They will go into Monday's shortlisting. There are no real surprises and there 10 candidates. 

Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar

Councillor Luthfur Rahman

Afzal Khan MEP

Councillor Yasmine Dar

Councillor Amina Lone

Councillor Julie Reid

Councillor Mike Amesbury

Activist Sam Wheeler

Councillor Nasrin Ali 

Councillor Zahid Chauhan

This article is one of a series as part of WriteYou's coverage of Manchester Politics, you can see the coverage here. Help WriteYou grow by supporting our powerful platform for independent fearless non partisan journalism here.

As exclusively reported on WriteYou.co.uk, Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese has confirmed there will be a by-election in Rusholme in an email that has been passed to me. Councillor Kate Chappell, the Executive Member for the Environment, has resigned from the council to spend more time with her family. Rusholme is in Manchester Gorton, so likely to be on the same day as the Parliamentary By-Election.

Kate was seen by many in Manchester as a potential future Council Leader. Evidence I've received indicated that she had been bullied, but Chappell has strenuously denied these allegations. 

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High profile Manchester City Centre Councillor Kevin Peel has attacked the Momentum activist Sam Wheeler over his comments, reported by Guido Fawkes, about the armed forces. Mr Peel called on Mr Wheeler to pull out of his bid to be the MP for Manchester Gorton over the comments. Mr Peel is well known for being outspoken on social media. He was recently briefly suspended from Manchester Labour Group for comments about Salford City Council. Mr Peel is very well connected at a national level and his comments are likely to be taken seriously. 

The comments of Corbyn's candidate for Gorton about Armed Forces Day & the Syrian civil war make him totally unfit to represent Manchester 😡

— Kevin Peel (@kevpeel) March 17, 2017

If you haven't seen what he said... Dreadful. He should remove himself from the selection immediately. pic.twitter.com/nObYXXM0Ij

— Kevin Peel (@kevpeel) March 17, 2017

 I approached Mr Peel about this story but he didn't reply.

Sam Wheeler said, “It is not patriotic to send young men and women off to die in far-away wars so our politicians can feel big on the world stage. It is not patriotic to cut disability benefits and mental health provision, so those returning harmed from conflict are robbed of the help they need. It is not patriotic to ignore the 250,000 homeless people in this country, when ex-service personnel are disproportionately likely to end up without shelter.

“Those on the Right talk a good game, but aren’t prepared to put their hand in their pocket to pay for the essential services those who have served our country rely upon. I will always fight for the safety and welfare of our troops, who have given their utmost for our country.”

The full article will be posted on Mr Wheeler’s campaign facebook page shortly.

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Afzal Khan MEP's campaign for Manchester Gorton has gained more momentum today as he secured the ASLEF nomination. He now has the support of the GMB, CWU, USDAW and ASLEF.

Mick Whelan, General Secretary, ASLEF said, "Aslef is delighted to support Afzal Khan to be the next MP for Manchester Gorton. Afzal has been a tireless campaigner for the people of Manchester for many years in his roles as a local councillor, Lord Mayor and MEP. His track record fighting for workers’ rights and equality is second to none and we believe he would be a fantastic champion for the people of Gorton". 

Afzal's campaign issued the below graphic. 

Afzal Khan MEP has been sending leaflets to GMB & CWU members that support him in Manchester Gorton. He also picked up the support of USDAW today. I understand he likely to pick up another union nomination tomorrow.

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This article is one of a series as part of WriteYou's coverage of Manchester Gorton, you can see the coverage here. Help WriteYou grow by supporting our powerful platform for independent fearless non partisan journalism here.

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Sources in Manchester Gorton have sent me a number of screenshots (below) of Councillor Amina Lone attacking Jeremy Corbyn and Labour in general on Twitter. Some of these tweets from February 2017 have now been deleted. Amina has confirmed she is seeking selection in Manchester Gorton.

She attacks Jeremy Corbyn by saying, "Unfortunately Corbs is a busted flush. He needs to go for Labour to have any chance of winning a GE". 

She also says, “Don’t think any person at the moment will recover Labour to a position of winning”.

She calls for Labour to have an interim leader.

I’m running this story not as an attack on Amina, simply a statement of what she put on Twitter. Eventually Guido Fawkes would find this story, such as in the case of Gareth Snell, and it’s in her and the CLPs interests that these tweets come out now.  Activists in Gorton have noticed these tweets and are circulating them around the constituency and around journalists.