Health Secretary Condemns Reform UK's 'Age Old Racism' Following By-Election Controversy
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched a scathing attack on Reform UK, accusing the party of a "return to age old racism that I thought we had consigned to the 1970s and 80s." The criticism comes in response to controversial comments made by Reform candidate Matt Goodwin following the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Controversial Remarks Spark Outrage
Mr Streeting's condemnation centers on remarks made by Mr Goodwin, who suggested that UK-born individuals from black, Asian or immigrant backgrounds were not always truly British. The Reform candidate stated that "it takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody 'British,'" prompting the Health Secretary to accuse him of effectively saying "that if you don't look like me, even if you were born here, you can't really be British."
"That is just about the most un-British thing I can think of," Mr Streeting declared during his address at the Big Iftar in Parliament, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims. "All of us have a responsibility to stand against that kind of hatred and discrimination."
Defending Muslim Voters' Democratic Rights
In what appears to be a direct rebuttal to claims from both Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage that the by-election was fought on "sectarian" lines, Mr Streeting emphasized the fundamental importance of protecting Muslim participation in British democracy. He stressed the need to defend "the rights, the voice, the space of Muslims in our country to participate in our democracy on equal terms, with equal votes, and equal voices."
The Health Secretary pointed to recent attempts to delegitimize Muslim voters, stating: "We've seen in recent days - as Muslims have upheld British values, gone to the ballot box, cast their votes, taking part in democracy - attempts to delegitimise them, to suggest that their votes and their voices count less than others."
By-Election Fallout and Voting Controversies
The Gorton and Denton by-election saw Labour slump to third place behind the Greens and Reform UK in a constituency they previously won with more than half the votes. Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer secured victory, prompting Nigel Farage to claim the contest represented a triumph for "sectarian voting and cheating."
Mr Farage further asserted that Reform's candidate would have won if only British citizens had voted, proposing that his party would limit voting in national elections to British passport holders and remove rights from Commonwealth citizens who qualify as UK residents.
Meanwhile, election observer group Democracy Volunteers reported witnessing high levels of "family voting" - where voters confer or direct each other on voting choices - in 68% of the 22 polling stations monitored during the by-election.
Political Repercussions and Leadership Speculation
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote to Labour MPs following the election defeat, accusing the Greens of embracing a "divisive, sectarian" form of politics and branding their policies as "extreme." He claimed the Green Party had shown they were "not the harmless environmentalists they pretend to be."
Mr Streeting's forceful intervention comes amid growing speculation about his political ambitions. While he has dismissed briefings about leadership aspirations as "incredibly stupid," there has been increasing talk of a potential challenge to Sir Keir Starmer as the Prime Minister faces questions about his leadership direction and devastating approval ratings.
The Health Secretary referenced his own electoral experience, noting: "One of the reasons I almost lost in Ilford North at the last election was because lots of Muslim people in my own constituency turned out to vote, and not to vote for me." Mr Streeting won his Ilford North constituency in 2024 with a narrow majority of just 528 votes.
Concluding his address with a characteristically personal touch, Mr Streeting joked: "So let me end by winding up all the right people, by saying that this gay bible-bashing Christian wishes all Muslims here and across our country Ramadan Mubarak."
Reform UK has been contacted for comment regarding the allegations made by the Health Secretary.
