Prime Minister Keir Starmer writes for the Mirror on what’s at stake in Thursday’s Gorton & Denton by-election with a rallying cry to voters to send Reform UK packing
The stakes in politics have rarely been higher.
It’s less and less about left and right. More and more, a battle for the soul of the nation. A fight between people like me who want to fix Britain’s problems and bring communities together. And between people like Nigel Farage who only want to spread hate and grievance.
On Thursday, that battle comes to a by-election in Gorton and Denton, two suburbs of Manchester. Labour’s candidate, Angeliki Stogia, has lived in the city for three decades. She is in politics for the right reasons – to serve her community. Her campaign has offered only unity, hope and a plan for local renewal.
READ MORE: Nigel Farage ridiculed in Brexit bus stunt as by-election battle intensifiesREAD MORE: Do you agree with Gordon Brown that Reform will ‘plunge kids into poverty’? Take our poll
Contrast that with her Reform opponent, the divisive Matt Goodwin. Politics for him is merely a platform for self-promotion and division. His opinions speak for themself.
He believes women who choose not to have children should pay higher taxes. He claimed young women and girls need a “biological reality check” if they don’t have children early in life.
And he believes that you cannot truly be English unless you are white. Forget about all the Black and Asian heroes who have proudly represented our country on the sporting field.
Never mind if they’ve served in our forces or the NHS. For Goodwin, it doesn’t even matter if you are born and raised here – you cannot be English unless you are white.
I find that utterly disgraceful. 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. Only Labour has the reach across the entire constituency needed to defeat Reform.
We saw this in the Runcorn by-election nearly a year ago. Over three thousand people voted for the Greens and Lib Dems that day. But Reform snuck through, beating Labour by just six votes. To strike a blow against hate, that cannot happen again.
Because the truth is Britain is beginning to turn a corner. Yesterday, thanks to decisions taken by the Government at the budget, the energy price cap came down. That means cheaper bills for us all.
Inflation is also coming down. The economy is healing. Immigration is under control. NHS waiting times are falling.
We’re cutting child poverty by over half a million children. Investing in youth clubs, high streets and green spaces in communities the length and breadth of the country.
And above all, we’re fighting on every front to bring down the cost of living. Freezing fuel tax, rail fares and prescription charges. Rolling out free school meals and breakfast clubs.
Capping ground rents for leaseholders. Slashing the cost of childcare by hundreds of pounds for working parents. And giving cleaners, carers and shopworkers the pay rise they deserve by boosting the minimum wage again.
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.