Keir Starmer has accused the Reform UK candidate in the Greater Manchester byelection of pursuing the politics of “toxic division” after Matt Goodwin, a hard-right activist, was unveiled as the party’s candidate for Gorton and Denton. Goodwin has faced criticism for claiming that people from minority ethnic backgrounds born in the UK are not necessarily British, a stance he has refused to disown.
The prime minister, speaking to reporters en route to China, said Reform was seeking to “tear people apart” and that the byelection would be a straight fight between Labour and Reform. “There’s only one party to stop Reform and that’s the Labour party,” he said, urging voters to coalesce around the Labour candidate.
Senior Labour figures have warned the party must rapidly position itself as the “stop Reform” vote, learning from the Caerphilly byelection where tactical voting shifted too late. The Greens, who came third in the seat at the general election, are also mounting a strong challenge after Andy Burnham was barred from applying as Labour candidate.
Starmer confirmed he spoke to Burnham on Monday after the mayor was blocked from running, citing the cost of a subsequent mayoral byelection. He denied Burnham was warned in advance, saying the mayor is doing a “first-class job” and any return to parliament would be “a matter for Andy.”
