Reform UK’s nomination of an anti-immigration GB News presenter for Gorton and Denton may be a shot directly into their own foot – 23 spoilt ballots
We cross now to Reform UK, where they appear to have been using their own foot for target practice. Their newly announced candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election in Manchester is the controversial GB New presenter Matt Goodwin.
GB News presenter Matt Goodwin
Is Reform UK's candidate for Gordon & Denton
"This by-election is actually a referendum on Keir Starmer"
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 2:12 PM
The radical right-wing activist went from writing books about how people were sucked into extremist politics to drinking that sweet, sweet Kool-Aid himself, going so far as to claim that British-born people whose ancestry is from overseas aren’t really British.
Reform byelection candidate refuses to disown claim that people born in UK not necessarily British
— The Guardian (@theguardian.com) January 27, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Here he is being schooled by Mehdi Hasan after making up statistics about immigrants.
Mehdi Hasan: “You falsely said on TV that 50% of social housing goes to non-British people but the real number is actually 14%.”
Matthew Goodwin: “I don’t think the government census data or the Mayor of London are credible sources.” pic.twitter.com/3zOvpCnmhk
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) December 7, 2025
He didn’t fare too well after ranting about – surprise, surprise – immigrants during an episode of Question Time, when he was the obligatory Reform mouthpiece.
Man in grey humiliates Matt Goodwin after his anti migrant rant #BBCQT
Pointing out that the far right only complain about asylum seekers who do wrong and do not attitude crimes to white British people e.g. the rape of a British Sikh woman by two white men who told her to go… pic.twitter.com/xbSaRnGB5e
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) October 30, 2025
His position on Putin is exactly what you’d expect from someone in the party of Nigel Farage.
GB news presenter, Matthew Goodwin, "We have to get everyone around the table and have a settlement.. All we hear from liberal internationalists if the world is becoming more authoritarian"
George Monibot, "The idea that it ends if you appease Putin is the greatest self… pic.twitter.com/EZ8I0Wdxe9
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) February 13, 2025
Of course, he wouldn’t get a foothold in Reform UK without being fully paid up to the Trump doctrine.
Let's see if brown-nosing, hard right homunculus Matt Goodwin thinks varnished fascist turd Trump is also right in his comments about the soldiers from NATO member countries – including the UK – who fought, bled, and died alongside US troops in Afghanistan.
— Alex Sowden (@ajs1977.bsky.social) January 23, 2026 at 6:59 PM
The news that he will try for the Gorton and Denton seat in Parliament will have sent a ripple of delight through anyone who doesn’t want Reform UK to win, and Bluesky users explained why.
1.
Left: Matt Goodwin appeals to the people of Gorton and Denton, "Let's work together and make history, pushing this country in a different direction"
Right: Matt Goodwin says immigrants from "Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, China..undermine the foundations of this country"
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 6:58 PM
2.
Oh god, imagine how insufferably victimy he will be when he loses.
— Adam Rutherford (@adamrutherford.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 4:09 PM
3.
I have zero respect for Goodwin, on account of the time he promised to eat a copy of his book on TV and ended up lightly chewing a single page. Also the racism.
— Fergus Navaratnam-Blair (@fnblair.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 6:43 PM
4.
I guess it was either Matt Goodwin, or Farage would have been forced to put a call in to Liz Truss.
— Simon Pegg (@simonpegg.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 2:53 PM
5.
this made me do such a loud "urrggrgh" sound that the two women next to me in this cafe fully turned round to make sure I was okay
— Marie Le Conte (@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com) January 27, 2026 at 2:07 PM
6.
If Matt Goodwin loses badly I suppose the headlines write themselves
— Scott Wortley (@scottwortley.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 2:57 PM
7.
Goodwin invariably comes off as an intrinsically repellent wannabe which is going to make for some magic TV when he tries to engage with voters in south Manchester.
— Henry Morris (@mrhenrymorris.substack.com) January 27, 2026 at 3:39 PM
8.
Matt Goodwin says this is "a chance for the hardworking, law-abiding, tax-paying people," such as his boss, Nigel Farage, who doesn't do his job in parliament, lied about why he avoided constituency work, admitted to breaking 17 laws last week alone, and still faces questions about tax avoidance.
— Russ Jones (@russincheshire.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 6:51 PM
9.
Breaking: Matt Goodwin says his internal polling has him up by 814%.
— Dmitry Grozoubinski (@explaintrade.com) January 27, 2026 at 2:20 PM
10.
🚨Matt Goodwin announced as Reform UK candidate for Gorton & Denton by-election🚨
The next step in his grifting arc – from GB News to standing for Reform UK.
— Best for Britain (@bestforbritain.org) January 27, 2026 at 2:09 PM
11.
Godwin’s Law- as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches.
Goodwin’s Law- the longer he talks the probability that he will end up sounding like a Nazi increases.
12.
Are you an academic already alarmed and upset by the prospect of Matt Goodwin MP?
Just think! If Reform wins the next general election, they'll probably make him higher education minister.
— David Klemperer (@dmk1793.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 2:29 PM