Matthew Goodwin, the Reform UK candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, has refused to disown his claim that UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British. The hard-right activist and GB News presenter made the comments in a recent interview, stating that “it takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody ‘British’.”
Speaking at a campaign event in Denton alongside Reform chief whip Lee Anderson, Goodwin twice declined to answer when asked by the Guardian if he stood by those views, which the Liberal Democrats described as “racist” and “abhorrent”. The constituency is demographically diverse, with 44% of the population identifying as coming from a minority ethnic background, according to the latest census.
Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell condemned Goodwin’s politics, saying they sought to “drive a wedge between communities in Manchester” and that Reform offered “division, animosity and hatred”. Green party leader Zack Polanski alleged Goodwin had “a track record of anti-Muslim bigotry” and described the byelection as a fight between Reform and the Greens, calling it “a battle for the soul of our country”.
When asked for his message to minority ethnic voters, Goodwin said: “It’s not about what your religion is, it’s not about what your race is… It’s about whether or not you play by the rules.” Anderson said Reform would focus the campaign on crime, the decline of the high street, and houses of multiple occupancy, which he claimed were home to “upwards of four or five single young men, creating all sorts of mayhem”. Both men repeatedly referenced child grooming gangs, an issue prominent in nearby Rochdale and Oldham.
