Reform UK's candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection, Matt Goodwin, has faced backlash after unearthed YouTube footage showed him calling for a 'biological reality' check for young women. In a November 2024 clip, Goodwin stated that 'many women in Britain are having children much too late in life' and that they 'would prefer to have children much earlier on'.
The comments, first reported by The Independent, have been condemned as 'deeply offensive' by Labour MP Sarah Owen, chair of the women and equalities committee. She said the remarks appeared to blame women for the declining birthrate and were hurtful to those with fertility issues.
Labour MP Natalie Fleet, who became pregnant at 15, criticised Goodwin on social media, asking if he wanted a 'Handmaid's Tale future'. The reference is to Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel. Fleet said her pregnancy was 'biologically great' but she endured 'hell on earth'.
In a separate podcast with Jordan Peterson, Goodwin agreed with the host's claim that universities are full of 'childless women' who promote 'politically correct authoritarianism'. A Reform spokesperson said they were discussing peer-reviewed studies on psychological differences between men and women.
Goodwin has previously suggested removing income tax for women with two or more children. The party said he had not called for taxing childless women but wanted a 'grown-up debate' on encouraging families. Green candidate Hannah Spencer accused Goodwin of seeking 'divisive, easy answers' instead of addressing real problems.
Penny East of the Fawcett Society called the idea of telling girls they have a moral obligation to have children earlier 'dystopian and deeply sexist'. Labour MP Stella Creasy mocked Goodwin's 'alt right fantasies' about controlling women's fertility.
