The war of words has begun in Gorton and Denton following the selection yesterday of Matt Goodwin as the Reform candidate for next month’s by election
Kier Starmer flying out to China accused Goodwin of “toxic division” after he refused to disown a claim he made previously that UK-born people from minority backgrounds are not necessarily British.
Manchester Central MP and Labour Deputy Lucy Powell said
“Matt Goodwin represents the kind of politics that will drive a wedge between communities in Manchester. Reform have misjudged the mood around Manchester and they won’t put the priorities of working people first. They just offer division, animosity, and hatred – not the unity and pride which our city stands for. Only a vote for Labour can stop Reform’s toxic politics and guarantee residents have a local champion that will cut their cost of living as their new Labour MP”
Later on X Powell told Goodwin to trot on saying he was not welcome in Manchester with the candidate replying
You said people who care about the grooming gangs were “blowing a little trumpet”
I’ll take no lectures from you
Meanwhile Speaking ahead of an official trip to China, Starmer said: “There’s only one party to stop Reform and that’s the Labour party and we can already see what the by-election is going to be about which is Labour values which are about delivering on the cost of living with a strong record actually in that constituency of what we’ve already done versus Reform.
“And you can see from their candidate what politics they’re going to bring to that constituency, the politics of division, of toxic division, of tearing people apart.
“That’s not what that constituency is about, it’s not what Manchester is about so this is a straight fight between Labour and Reform and there’s only one party that can stop the politics of Reform in the by election and that’s the Labour Party.”
