ɪn mˈɑːɹtʃ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvəntˌiːn, hiː ɐplˈaɪd təbi lˈeɪbɚz kˈændᵻdˌeɪt ɪnðə tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvəntˌiːn mˈæntʃɛstɚ ɡˈɔːɹtən baɪᵻlˈɛkʃən ænd wʌz əfˈɪʃəli sᵻlˈɛktᵻd ˌɔn twˈɛnti tˈuː mˈɑːɹtʃ.
In March 2017, he applied to be Labour's candidate in the 2017 Manchester Gorton by-election and was officially selected on 22 March.