𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Could Labour really try to inflict Gary Neville on the people of Greater Manchester? It sounds unlikely, but it turns out to be true – figures within the party are seriously considering whether the football star turned TV pundit, a former Man Utd captain, could be their candidate.

But this just shows how out of touch Labour has become. Picking Neville as their candidate would be the final nail in the coffin of Sir Keir Starmer’s party.

Labour’s self-indulgent civil war has left the party facing not one but two nightmare elections. There’s the by-election in Makerfield, where Labour MP Josh Simons is standing down to make way for Andy Burnham, the current Mayor of Greater Manchester.

How local residents feel about becoming pawns in Labour’s internal battles remains to be seen. But if Mr Burnham goes ahead with his plans, there will also be an election for a new mayor. And it seems Labour is considering drastic measures in order to avoid a humiliating defeat.

Veteran political journalist Sam Coates, of Sky News, was the first to reveal the news that Neville has been “discussed inside Labour” as a possible candidate.

The ex-footballer endorsed Labour in the 2019 General Election and joined the party three years later.

That suggests he’s certainly got the credentials. But he’s also precisely the wrong sort of Lefty to win over sceptical voters in the North.

When a terrorist killed three people in an attack on a Manchester synagogue, Neville responded by saying: “We’re all being turned on each other and the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting. Mainly created by angry middle-aged white men who know exactly what they’re doing.”

He complained about seeing “50 or 60 Union Jack flags” in Salford, Greater Manchester, and revealed that he had personally removed a flag elsewhere.

There are different views about the flags that went up across the UK last year. But the dismissive comments about “middle-aged white men” – even though he’s one himself – are exactly what people hate about a certain type of Lefty. They reveal that he thinks he’s better than many of the rest of us.

Previously, he said Brexit “has been devastating for this country”. And he slammed Nigel Farage as a “f****** idiot”, after Mr Farage highlighted people crossing the Channel in small boats.

There will be people in Greater Manchester who agree with these views. There will be far more who don’t.

Making Neville the party’s candidate would be a massive mistake. So, given Labour’s recent track record, it’s no surprise that they are considering doing exactly that.