Keir Starmer has called on voters to “strike a blow against hate” by sending Reform packing in a make-or-break by-election on Thursday.
The Prime Minister declared only Labour could defeat Nigel Farage’s party in Gorton and Denton, and warned a vote for the Greens and the Lib Dems risked letting Reform in.
Labour has held the Greater Manchester seat for nearly 100 years – and won it in 2024 with a 13,413-strong majority. But the contest is on a knife edge as Mr Starmer’s party battles pressure from the Greens on the left and Reform on the right.
As voters head to the polls, the PM said the contest was a part of “a battle for the soul of the nation” in a rallying cry against Reform’s divisive politics.
READ MORE: Nigel Farage ridiculed in Brexit bus stunt as by-election battle intensifies
He took aim at the party’s hard-line candidate Matt Goodwin over his divisive views on national identity after he suggested last year that people from minority ethnic backgrounds who are born in this country are not necessarily British.
The GB News presenter has also come under fire over an old blog post calling for extra taxes for women who don’t have children, and for a YouTube clip where he said women and young girls need a “biological reality” check to stop them having kids too late.
Writing for the Mirror, the Prime Minister said: “His opinions would have been backwards-looking in the 1970s. They have no place in modern Britain. And he is unfit to represent a proud and diverse city like Manchester.
“But we cannot pretend he doesn’t have an audience. We saw that in Manchester this weekend with the divisive ‘Britain First’ march in the city centre.
“No, this politics must be fought and it must be defeated. And that begins by backing Labour in Gorton and Denton. Of course, other parties will claim they can win. Don’t be fooled – they can’t.”
The Greens have sought to position Hannah Spencer as the anti-Reform candidate but the PM argued only Labour had the reach across the entire constituency to see off Mr Farage.
And in an appeal to wavering voters, he pointed to Reform’s narrow victory in a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby, in Cheshire, last year, where Labour was beaten by just six votes. “To strike a blow against hate, that cannot happen again,” he said.
Mr Starmer said Britain was starting to turn a corner after years of Tory misrule, pointing to a string of measures including lower energy bills, falling NHS waiting times and action on child poverty.
He said: “This is how we really change our country. A long-term plan that unites our communities, fixes our problems and tackles the cost-of-living crisis. That is what is on the ballot today: renewal versus grievance. Vote Labour to support it and send Reform packing.”
The by-election was triggered after independent MP Andrew Gwynne quit on health grounds earlier this year. The former Health Minister was kicked out by Labour for sharing offensive WhatsApp messages.
The by-election result could be pivotal for the Prime Minister, after a torrid few weeks, which saw him face down calls to quit from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Mr Starmer visited the constituency on Monday to address party faithful alongside candidate Angeliki Stogia, in a sign of the importance of the contest. A string of Cabinet Ministers have also been deployed to pound the pavements with activists.
A Labour victory would settle nerves and buy Mr Starmer time to steady the ship ahead of a difficult set of elections in May in Wales, Scotland and local authorities in England.
It would also see off recriminations over the decision to block Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing by Labour chiefs.
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