Charlotte Cadden is a retired detective, LGB separatist, sex segregationist, and anti-transgender activist. Cadden is a member of Women’s Rights Network and a trustee of anti-trans groups Sex Matters and LGB Alliance.
Background
After graduating from the Bolton School in 1988, Cadden earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Salford in 1992.
Cadden was a police officer for 30 years in the Greater Manchester Police, and retired in 2025 as a Detective Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police Service.
In 2023, Cadden was called as a witness in the employment tribunal Newman v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. The plaintiff, detective Melanie Newman, was represented by Naomi Cunningham of Sex Matters. In March 2023, Newman had attended an online event hosted by MPS to mark Trans Day of Visibility at New Scotland Yard. Newman was upset with statements by some pro-trans speakers and filed a complaint. When MPS declined to pursue it, Newman sued the Police Commissioners for discrimination and harassment. In July 2025, the tribunal found that the claims were “not well founded” and dismissed both.
In 2026, Cadden was a Conservative and Unionist Party candidate in the Gorton and Denton UK Parliamentary by-election, placing 4th out of 11 candidates with 706 votes. In that race, Green Party’s Hannah Spencer bested Reform Party candidate Matt Goodwin, who came in second.
Anti-trans activism
In 2023, Cadden co-founded anti-trans group Police SEEN UK, stepping down in January 2025. In February 2025, Cadden was appointed as a trustee of Sex Matters.
References
Wheeldon, Maddison (February 3, 2026). Tories put forward transphobe to stand in Gorton and Denton. The Canary https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/03/gorton-and-denton-tories/
Staff report (February 1, 2026). Charlotte Cadden chosen as Tory by-election candidate. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn40kmrkk9xo
Resources
X/Twitter (x.com)
Sex Matters (sex-matters.org)
- Charlotte Cadden
- sex-matters.org/about-us/board/charlotte-cadden
Who Can I Vote For? (whocanivotefor.co.uk)
- Charlotte Cadden
- whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/123845/charlotte-cadden
Manchester Conservatives (manchesterconservatives.com)
- Gorton & Denton By-Election
- manchesterconservatives.com/campaigns/gorton-denton-election
JustGiving (justgiving.com)
- Charlotte Cadden
- justgiving.com/fundraising/Charlotte-Cadden
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Police SEEN (policeseenuk.co.uk)