quinta-feira, 26 de fevereiro de 2026
UK local elections Gorton and Denton
UK local
elections Gorton and Denton
Voting is
currently underway for the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election, with
polls closing at 10:00 PM GMT tonight, Thursday, 26 February 2026.
While the
query mentions "local elections," please note that the primary event
today is a Westminster by-election to choose a new Member of Parliament (MP).
Standard local council elections for Manchester and Tameside are scheduled for
May 2026.
Key
Election Details
Reason
for Election: Triggered by the resignation of former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne on
22 January 2026 due to significant ill health.
Result
Declaration: The winner is expected to be announced at approximately 4:00 AM on
Friday, 27 February.
The Race:
Pollsters have characterized this as an extremely tight three-way battle
between Labour, the Green Party, and Reform UK.
Labour
Party: Candidate Angeliki Stogia is defending a 13,413-vote majority from the
2024 general election.
Green
Party: Candidate Hannah Spencer has received endorsements from major tactical
voting sites like Tactical.vote and StopReformUK.vote.
Reform
UK: Candidate Matt Goodwin (GB News presenter) is running a campaign framed as
a referendum on Keir Starmer's leadership.
Polling
& Analysis
The
latest Opinium poll shows a statistical tie:
Green
Party: 28%
Labour
Party: 28%
Reform
UK: 27%
Candidates
Eleven
candidates are contesting the by-election, including representatives from the
main parties (Labour, Green, Reform UK, Conservative, Lib Dem) and several
smaller parties.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz concluded his first official two-day visit to China on February 26, 2026. The trip focused on resetting trade relations, addressing industrial overcapacity, and discussing the war in Ukraine.
Merz
visit to china
German
Chancellor Friedrich Merz concluded his first official two-day visit to China
on February 26, 2026. The trip focused on resetting trade relations, addressing
industrial overcapacity, and discussing the war in Ukraine.
Key
Meetings and Itinerary
Beijing
(Feb 25): Merz met with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. He was the
first foreign leader received by China in the Year of the Horse.
Cultural
Tours (Feb 26): He visited the Forbidden City (Palace Museum) and expressed
hope for collaboration in the Year of the Horse.
Business
Diplomacy: Accompanied by over two dozen CEOs from companies like Volkswagen,
BMW, and Siemens, Merz tested a jointly developed Mercedes-Benz autonomous
driving system in Beijing.
Hangzhou
(Feb 26): Merz traveled to the tech hub of Hangzhou to visit Unitree Robotics
and meet with Siemens Energy executives before concluding his trip.
Core
Discussion Topics
Trade
Imbalance: Merz described Germany's trade deficit with China (which reached a
record €89 billion in 2025) as "not healthy". He called for a more
"balanced, reliable, and fair" partnership.
Industrial
Overcapacity: He flagged Chinese overcapacity as a "problem for
Europe" because it exceeds market demand, especially in the automotive and
machinery sectors.
Geopolitics:
Merz urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war in
Ukraine, stating that "if China says stop, the war will stop".
Economic
Strategy: While maintaining that "decoupling" from China would be a
mistake, he sought a more equal playing field for German firms.
Next
Steps
Merz
announced that Economy Minister Katherina Reiche will visit China in the coming
months for follow-up discussions on competition and overcapacity.
