Labour's deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has written to Reform UK's by-election candidate Matt Goodwin demanding he distance himself from racist content shared by members of his campaign team. The letter follows an investigation by the Manchester Mill that found five campaign members had shared racist material online and expressed support for far-right groups.
Among those identified was Adam Mitula, Goodwin's interim campaign manager in Tameside, who allegedly suggested that a large proportion of transgender people were paedophiles, used racial slurs, and claimed there were "Muslim no go ghettos" in the UK. He also expressed admiration for online influencer Andrew Tate, who is being investigated over human trafficking and rape allegations.
Others pictured campaigning with Goodwin included Kelly Cooling, who reportedly showed support for the far-right Britain First party, and Alanna Vine, who was suspended by the Conservatives in 2022 over social media posts deemed discriminatory towards Islam.
Goodwin's campaign has already faced controversy. Footage from 2024 showed him calling for "young girls and women" to be given a "biological reality" check, drawing accusations of wanting a "Handmaid's Tale future". He also commented last year that it was "insane" that a man was jailed for inciting racial hatred over posts calling for migrants to be "slaughtered".
In her letter, Powell acknowledged Goodwin may not have known about the comments when the individuals offered to help, but said he was aware now. She urged him to remove them from his campaign and clearly reject their views, warning that failure to do so would lead people to conclude he and Reform UK were happy to be associated with them.
