News Beat
Matt Goodwin will be Reform candidate for Gorton and Denton
The writer, broadcaster and academic is the second candidate to be revealed after Shahbaz Sarwar for the Workers Party.
Goodwin, 44, has links to Manchester through his family, with his grandfather having worked in a steel factory in the area and his grandmother having worked for the University of Salford.
Both his parents worked for the NHS in Manchester, while Goodwin also studied at the University of Salford.
I will be standing for Reform UK in the Gorton & Denton by-election on February 26th.
This election is a referendum on Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.
If you want him out, vote Reform. pic.twitter.com/RC4py5J2TI
— Matt Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ) January 27, 2026
Goodwin has taught and researched politics, including being a professor of politics in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent.
He has also written books on populism, Brexit and the rise of UKIP, a party previously led by current Reform leader Nigel Farage, as well as presenting on GB News.
In a statement released alongside his announcement, Goodwin shared: “This by-election is a referendum on Keir Starmer. It is a chance for the people of Gorton and Denton to have their say on Keir Starmer and make history.
“I will stand up for the local people of Gorton and Denton against the broken Westminster establishment. I will demand Britain fixes its borders, invests in our National Health Service, and clamps down on crime and anti-social behaviour.
“Only Reform can be trusted to fix broken Britain. We will put the people of Gorton and Denton where they belong: first. Gorton and Denton needs Reform.”
Meanwhile, Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage MP said: “The Gorton and Denton by-election is a referendum on Keir Starmer and his hopeless government. A vote for Labour is a vote for Keir Starmer and more of the same uncontrolled mass immigration, broken borders, record high taxes, surging energy bills, and all the rest.
“If you want to get rid of Keir Starmer and change the direction of this country, you need to vote for Reform’s outstanding candidate in Gorton and Denton, Matt Goodwin.”
The news of Reform’s candidate being announced follows Manchester mayor Andy Burnham being blocked by Labour’s NEC (National Executive Committee) from standing.
Due to being a directly elected mayor, he had to ask for their approval.
However, they denied him permission to stand to “avoid an unnecessary mayoral election, which would use substantial amounts of taxpayers’ money and resources”.
Why is Gorton and Denton having a by-election?
The seat of Gorton and Denton in Manchester is having a by-election due to its MP standing down.
Andrew Gwynne announced on Thursday, January 22, that he had suffered “significant ill health” and had been advised by his GP that it wasn’t safe for him to return to work as an MP.
Gwynne was elected in the 2024 general election as a Labour candidate, when the seat came into being, following a review of constituencies.
In the end, Gwynne won by more than 13,000 votes over his closest competitor in Reform’s Lee Moffitt.
However, he was suspended from the party in 2025 after reports that he had sent offensive WhatsApp messages, which meant he then stood as an independent before his decision to step down over ill-health.
The by-election is set to take place on Thursday, February 26.
