Matt Goodwin, the Reform candidate for Gorton and Denton by-election, says his comments on Manchester deliberately taken out of context
Daily Telegraph 28/07/26
Reform UK has reported Labour to the police over a “misleading” video that attacked its candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Matt Goodwin, who is contesting the by-election for Reform, claimed that Labour breached the Representation of the People’s Act 1983 which bans any “false statement of fact” against a candidate.
His complaint to Greater Manchester Police centres on the way the Labour party used a video posted previously on X by Mr Goodwin.
In the video, the Reform candidate says: “I was lucky enough or unfortunate enough to be in Manchester a few days ago and the energy in this room is 10 times what it was in Manchester so congratulations.”
The Labour Party account captioned the clip: “This is what Reform’s latest candidate thinks about where he’s standing to represent.”
But Mr Goodwin, a former University of Kent professor and GB News presenter, said the clip was misleading as it had been deliberately taken out of context by Labour. He said his comments were not directed at Manchester but at the “dying” Tory party conference which had taken “The editing deliberately omits this reference, creating a misleading narrative that plainly is intended to influence how voters view Mr Goodwin’s character and candidacy,” said Reform.
Mr Goodwin told voters in the Manchester seat: “They lied to you about the small boats, they lied to you about the grooming gangs. Now they are lying to you about the only candidate who is speaking common sense. This is exactly what the British people are sick and tired of.
“Keir Starmer’s Labour constantly accuse the British people of ‘misinformation’. Yet here is Starmer’s Labour deliberately misinforming the good people of Gorton and Denton. Vote Reform, get Starmer out.”
Mr Goodwin was unveiled on Tuesday as the Reform UK candidate for the seat, which was vacated by disgraced Labour MP Andrew Gwynne. Polling suggests Reform and the Green Party are favourites for the seat from Labour after party chiefs blocked Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, from standing.
‘Deliberate or reckless misrepresentation’
In its complaint, Reform said the repeated assertion that Mr Goodwin insulted Manchester was a false statement of fact arising from “deliberate or reckless” misrepresentation and was “clearly intended to influence the outcome of the election”.
The party noted that the video bore a party imprint which stated that it was promoted by a named person “on behalf of the Labour party”. This meant it fell under defined content intended to promote or procure the election of a candidate, it said.
“Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 prohibits the making or publishing of false statements of fact relating to a candidate’s personal character or conduct, where such statements are made for the purpose of affecting the return of that candidate,” said Reform.
If Labour or a party member was found to have breached the act, they could face a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine and a three-year ban from holding elective office.
Reform said the post by Labour was “non-trivial” and caused “serious harm” to Mr Goodwin, noting that it had been viewed more than 1.2 million times at the time of the party lodging its complaint.
The party said it had been aggravated by being widely shared, including by Lucy Powell, the Labour deputy leader, who added: “Trot on … You aren’t welcome in Manchester next time either.”
Reform said it would consider bringing a private prosecution if the police did not act on the complaint.
‘Shameless, divisive rhetoric’
A Labour spokesman hit back, saying: “Nigel Farage has repeatedly bemoaned the ‘policing of tweets’, yet he is now begging the authorities to look at a clip of his divisive candidate’s own words. It is as laughable as it is sad.
“Matt Goodwin and Reform have long had a disdain for Manchester and the North. The ones being misleading here are the Greens pretending they have any chance of winning in Gorton and Denton.
“Only Labour can take on Goodwin and Farage’s toxic politics and reject their shameless, divisive rhetoric that is not what our city stands for.”
Labour posted a previous tweet by Mr Goodwin, in which he said he “finds it difficult to believe that Manchester finished above Rome, Madrid & London in the most liveable cities list.” Labour Press asked: “Why did you delete this, @GoodwinMJ?”
On Tuesday night, Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Goodwin of fuelling “toxic division” and “tearing people apart”.
Asked on the plane to China if he thought the Greens rather than Labour had a better chance of beating Reform in the seat, the Prime Minister said: “No. There’s only one party to stop Reform and that’s the Labour Party.”
Greater Manchester Police has been contacted for comment.place in the city shortly before.
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