A note from Gorton and Denton
An update for our community
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Friends -
You might have noticed I’ve been remarkably quiet for the past two weeks.
Why?
Because I’m standing for Parliament at the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election on Thursday, February 26th, very close to where my family is from.
Gorton and Denton has been a Labour stronghold since the First World War.
It is the sixth safest Labour seat in the entire country.
The blunt reality is that this race should not even be competitive - but it is.
We have a real chance of winning this by-election.
And if we win, the implications will be truly enormous.
We will likely bring down Keir Starmer.
We will create the perfect backdrop for the elections in May - the next stage in the people’s revolt against the establishment.
And we will send a clear message to not just the Labour Party and Westminster but the entire country - if we can win here, we can win anywhere.
My sense on the ground is that the tables are turning.
People here have had enough.
Enough of record taxes.
Enough of soaring energy bills.
Enough of broken borders.
Enough of mass uncontrolled immigration.
Enough of soft-on-crime policies.
Enough of a Green party that talks more about Gaza than Gorton and Denton.
Enough of a Labour party that talks only about how to save itself.
And enough of Keir Starmer’s total hypocrisy.
A man who lectures the rest of us about morality and virtue but who appointed a crook who had a known friendship with a paedophile to represent our country on the world stage, and who previously spent years trying to convince the British people to elect Jeremy Corbyn, a self-described “friend” of Islamist terrorists, as prime minister.
Sorry, Starmer, but spare me the lectures.
That’s why I’m here fighting like hell - meeting local people, listening to their concerns, and canvassing the entire seat all hours of the day.
Fighting so that, three weeks from now, we might be celebrating one of the most historic and significant by-election victories in British political history.
As Andrew Neil pointed out yesterday, if we win here, in Gorton and Denton, then it will be “the final nail in Keir Starmer’s coffin”. He’s right.
Until then, I have to be all-in.
Laser focused.
Working like crazy.
I will leave no stone unturned in making sure that we win this campaign and put the hardworking, law-abiding people of this country where they belong - which is first.
For now, all I am asking you to do is just one thing.
Stay with me in this community of ours.
What I am witnessing on the doorsteps is incredibly exciting: a people’s revolution bubbling up from the grassroots.
And I am right on the front-line.
It is all part of a wider project - the journey we have been on together.
And now, with all the media attention, this community is growing faster than ever.
Because we are all in this together.
And when this race is over, in three weeks, I will have so much to tell you.
The real story! Blow by blow.
And, of course, returning to analysing the big issues of the day and making the case for the decent, forgotten majority.
We’ve been on quite the journey, haven’t we?!
And from here on, it will only get more exciting, more influential, more impactful.
Change is coming.
Stick with me.
And, as always, thank you for your support.
Matt
P.s. Here are a couple of my favourite pieces of coverage of the campaign
‘It’ll be a photo finish’: inside the Gorton and Denton by-election, James Heale, Spectator
Reform’s candidate is Matt Goodwin, the academic turned GB News presenter, whose political journey has sparked much press commentary. ‘They’re trying to pathologise me for changing my views,’ says Goodwin. ‘It’s as if people struggle with the notion that you might actually believe what you’re saying, that I’m fully all in ideologically, philosophically.’
Goodwin cites his selection as proof of Reform’s maturity as a distinct political force. ‘I’ve said at the outset, I don’t want former Conservatives anywhere near this. There is another wing to Reform.’
He argues: ‘If we become a Tory tribute act, the whole thing will never fulfil its potential. I really do think Reform can be a 40 per cent party.’
The four-man team from that [Runcorn by-election] triumph has been reconvened, with a simple campaign app and a revamped ‘war book’ following the defeat in Caerphilly.
If they [Labour] lose this seat – or worse, come third – Labour MPs’ attention will turn to another race instead: that to succeed Keir Starmer.’
If I win, Starmer will resign, says Reform’s candidate for Gorton and Denton, Sabrina Miller, Telegraph
If Mr Goodwin were to overturn Labour’s majority of more than 13,000, it would represent the most significant electoral blow to Sir Keir Starmer since he entered Downing Street … Mr Goodwin’s message to voters is simple: “Vote Reform UK to get Starmer out.”
The academic-turned-GB News presenter bursts through the door [of the Red Lion pub in Denton] 10 minutes early, filled with focused energy. Dressed in a blue quarter-zip jumper, navy jacket, white shirt and jeans, he looks every bit the polished yet relatable political candidate.
“The cost of living crisis is undoubtedly the biggest issue for people here, not Pakistan or Gaza,” says Mr Goodwin. “So Reform will support small businesses and bring down energy bills by taking on net zero.” He concludes: “No more welfare for people who aren’t British. Stop the boats. Fix the border. Put local people first. Put Gorton and Denton first.” It is a compelling pitch.
“It is so ironic when people on the Left will accuse me of being divisive for talking about fixing borders when they are trying to run a sectarian campaign by targeting local Muslim voters on the issue of Gaza. “I am not playing those games. So whether you’re white, black, Asian, Muslim, non-Muslim, if you live in Gorton and Denton, we will put you first. Reform will put this seat first.”
Promoted by Adam Rawlinson, on behalf of Matt Goodwin, both at Reform UK, Millbank Tower, 21 to 24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP.
I think everyone here understands why things have been quiet lately and may relatively speaking continue to be so if you win. Good luck and hope all goes well in 20 days time.
We are coming up on this Saturday from Shropshire to help your campaign and looking to arrange another before the election so that you can deliver a clear message to the Prime Minister but also to the wider Labour Party.