Labour accused of ‘gaslighting’ voters with ‘lies’ after enhancing video to assert Reform’s by-election candidate slagged off Manchester
Labour has been accused of ‘gaslighting’ voters with ‘lies’ about Reform’s candidate in the Gorton & Denton by-election.
Keir Starmer‘s party issued a video last night claiming that commentator Matt Goodwin had slagged off Manchester in a speech.
However, the footage had actually been edited from comments where he was criticising the lack of atmosphere at Tory conference.
Even Labour insiders were uncomfortable at the attack line, which signals how dirty the fight could be ahead of the vote on February 26.
In the video, Mr Goodwin – who was unveiled as Reform’s candidate yesterday – was seen saying: ‘I was lucky enough, or unfortunate enough, to be in Manchester a few days ago and the energy in this room is ten times what it was in Manchester, so congratulations.’
Labour issued a video last night claiming that commentator Matt Goodwin had slagged off Manchester in a speech
The footage had actually been edited from comments where he was criticising the lack of atmosphere at Tory conference
En route to China, Sir Keir stepped up his attack onMr Goodwin, saying he showed Reform would bring a politics of ‘toxic division’ to the contes
Labour added the caption: ‘This is what Reform’s latest candidate thinks about where he’s standing to represent.’
The post on X was retweeted by senior figures including deputy leader Lucy Powell, who told GB News presenter Mr Goodwin to ‘trot on’.
However, the former academic hit back on X: ‘I was referring to the dying Tory Party conference that was held in Manchester – as you know.
‘This is exactly what the British people are sick and tired of Labour gaslighting and misleading them at every turn.
‘Vote Reform on February 26th, Get Rid of Keir Starmer.’
Reform MP Lee Anderson added: ‘They just lie.’
A Labour campaign spokesman sidestepped the misleading nature of the video, saying: ‘Matt Goodwin and Reform have long had a disdain for Manchester and the North.’
Reform and the Greens have vowed to throw everything at the by-election, in a seat that Labour held with a 13,000 majority in 2024.
The contest has been triggered by the resignation of former MP Andrew Gwynne on health grounds. But many in Labour are gloomy about their prospects of clinging on amid dire national polls.
En route to China, Sir Keir stepped up his attack on Mr Goodwin, saying he showed Reform would bring a politics of ‘toxic division’ to the contest.
The post on X was retweeted by senior figures including deputy leader Lucy Powell, who told GB News presenter Mr Goodwin to ‘trot on’
He said: ‘That’s not what that constituency is about, that’s not what Manchester is about. So this is a straight fight between Labour and Reform.’
He told reporters: ‘There’s only one party that can stop Reform and that’s the Labour Party.
‘And we can already see what the by-election’s going to be about, which is Labour values – which are about delivering, focusing on the cost of living, with a strong record in that constituency of what we’ve already done – versus Reform.’
