Matthew Goodwin, the Reform candidate in Gorton And Denton (Image: Getty)
Matt Goodwin, Reform’s election campaign in the Gorton and Denton by-election, has denied acting inappropriately after it emerged he was accused of making inappropriate comments to a young woman. The GB News presenter was accused of making comments to a junior staff member at the TV channel which she regarded as sexually harassment, the Guardian has reported.
The woman is said to have complained to the network’s HR department in 2025 following comments including one about her appearance. The Guardian reports Mr Goodwin has denied acting inappropriately. A lawyer acting for him confirmed to the Guardian that a grievance had been raised relating to two alleged verbal remarks made months apart, and no disciplinary action was taken.
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A Labour Party Spokesperson said: “These are extremely concerning allegations – Matthew Goodwin needs to come clean with the public as to what happened here.
“From saying young girls should be given a ‘biological reality check’ to his plan to tax women more if they don’t have children, Goodwin’s attitude towards women frankly stinks.”
Labour is fighting a fierce battle to hold the seat, which it won in 2024, with some polls suggesting it could come third behind Reform and the Greens.
Mr Goodwin is standing for the party in the by-election on February 26, which was triggered when former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne stood down citing health reasons.
He is already fighting a legal battle over claims he broke election rules.
On Friday, lawyers for the candidate and his election agent, Adam Rawlinson, told the High Court that some of Mr Goodwin’s election leaflets failed to include a “statutory imprint”, which constituted “inadvertent illegal practice”.
Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, election material must include the name and address of those the document promotes, the promoter, and the printer.
Failure to do this is classed as an “illegal practice”, which can be punishable by a fine of up to £5,000.
The imprint was missing from a leaflet containing an open letter by a pensioner who had switched her support from Labour to Reform.
Mr Goodwin and Mr Rawlinson are now asking the court to rule that they do not have to face a sanction over the issue, which their barrister described as an “honest administrative error”.
Adam Richardson, for the two, told the court in written submissions that the rule breach was “limited in scope, technical in nature, and had no material impact on the election”.
He continued that the Act allows a judge to order that a person should not face consequences for “illegal practice” if it arose from “inadvertence or from accidental miscalculation” and “did not arise from any want of good faith”.
He said: “Without relief, they face the risk of criminal prosecution, a fine, a three-year disqualification from elective office, and, if Mr Goodwin were elected, potential invalidation of the result.”
The court in London was told that the imprint was included in the signed-off version of the leaflet, which was sent to printing company Hardings Print Solutions.
Mr Richardson continued that an “internal error” at Hardings led to a “change of font” at the final stage of production, which caused the imprint to be “trimmed off or omitted”.
The barrister said the error was spotted on February 6, with no further leaflets being distributed and Hardings having “publicly admitted full responsibility for the production error”.
He said: “This error was neither requested nor authorised by the claimants or anyone on their behalf.”
He continued: “The omission was wholly inadvertent and arose from a third-party production error that was neither foreseen nor preventable.”
Mr Goodwin and Mr Rawlinson also informed the Crown Prosecution Service and the acting returning officer of the error, the barrister said.
Lawyers on behalf of the acting returning officer attended the hearing in London but made no representations, and no other party was represented.
At the end of the hearing, Mr Justice Soole said that a three-hour hearing to decide whether Mr Goodwin and Mr Rawlinson should be sanctioned will be held on Wednesday, and that the other candidates in the by-election should be given “formal notice” of the matter.
Reform Candidate Matt Goodwin Fighting Gorton and Denton By-Election Denies ‘Harassment’
Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin found himself at the centre of a controversy during the Gorton and Denton by-election campaign after allegations concerning his conduct while working at GB News were reported shortly before voters went to the polls.
Goodwin denied wrongdoing, while reports later stated that an internal GB News inquiry found no harassment or misconduct and that no disciplinary action was taken. The controversy nevertheless became another issue surrounding a candidate already attracting considerable attention because of his political views, public profile and role in one of the most closely watched by-elections of 2026.
The Gorton and Denton contest was already unusually significant for Reform UK. The party was attempting to convert its growing national support into a parliamentary breakthrough in a constituency that Labour had previously held comfortably.
Goodwin, a former academic and GB News presenter, was selected by Reform in January. He described the by-election as a referendum on Keir Starmer and argued that voters should use it to express their dissatisfaction with the Labour government.
But his candidacy immediately attracted scrutiny.
The allegations involving Goodwin
Reports published during the campaign said a female GB News staff member had raised concerns about comments Goodwin allegedly made about her appearance.
The allegations were subsequently widely discussed in the media, with opponents of Reform using them as another reason to question the party’s decision to select him as its candidate.
Goodwin rejected the allegations and denied that he had engaged in harassment.
Importantly, later reporting concerning the matter stated that an internal GB News investigation did not find harassment or misconduct. A report published after a legal complaint from Goodwin’s representatives said the inquiry examined two verbal remarks and concluded that there had been a difference in perception or a miscommunication. It also reported that no disciplinary action was taken.
That distinction is important.
An allegation is not the same as an established finding of misconduct. In Goodwin’s case, the reported outcome of the internal investigation provides additional context to the claims made during the election campaign.
A candidate already under intense scrutiny
The controversy arrived at a particularly difficult moment for Goodwin because his political record had already attracted considerable attention.
Before entering electoral politics, Goodwin had established himself as an academic, author and political commentator. He later became a regular presenter on GB News.
His appointment as Reform UK’s candidate therefore brought a nationally recognised figure into a constituency contest that would otherwise have been largely local.
Reform’s leadership viewed that profile as an advantage.
Goodwin had a substantial social-media following and was already familiar to many voters through television appearances. A New Statesman report from the campaign described him as bringing significant name recognition to the race and noted that he had previously worked at Salford University and had family connections to Manchester.
His opponents, however, argued that he was effectively being brought into the constituency from outside.
Goodwin rejected that characterisation, pointing to his links to Greater Manchester and his professional connections to the area.
Reform’s wider campaign message
The controversy surrounding Goodwin was only one part of a much larger political battle.
Reform UK sought to make immigration, crime, taxation and dissatisfaction with the Labour government central issues in the campaign.
Goodwin repeatedly presented the contest as an opportunity for voters to send a message to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
At the same time, Labour and the Greens attempted to make the election a choice about Reform’s political agenda and Goodwin personally.
The campaign became increasingly nationalised, with senior figures from several parties travelling to Greater Manchester.
That attention reflected the unusual political circumstances surrounding the seat.
Labour had historically been dominant in Gorton, while Reform had made significant progress in the broader political environment following the 2024 general election.
The Greens were also mounting a serious challenge, creating a three-way contest rather than a conventional Labour-Reform battle.
The Tommy Robinson controversy
Goodwin’s candidacy had already generated controversy before the harassment allegations emerged.
In January, far-right activist Tommy Robinson publicly encouraged his followers to vote for Goodwin.
Reform responded by saying Robinson was not welcome in the party and sought to distance itself from him. The episode nevertheless gave Labour and other opponents another opportunity to challenge Reform over the political associations surrounding its candidate.
Goodwin had also previously attracted criticism for comments concerning national identity.
The Independent reported that he had argued, following a stabbing incident, that being born in Britain was not by itself sufficient to make someone British, saying that it took more than “a piece of paper” to establish British identity. The comments were criticised by political opponents.
Those remarks became part of the broader debate over Goodwin’s political views during the campaign.
A further controversy inside the campaign
The Reform campaign faced another controversy just days before polling.
Adam Mitula, described as a prominent figure involved in Goodwin’s campaign, was suspended by Reform after social-media posts containing remarks that were reported as racist and sexist.
Mitula said the comments had been taken out of context and confirmed that he had been suspended pending investigation.
Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell subsequently wrote to Goodwin asking him to distance himself from Mitula and his alleged remarks.
Reform said it did not comment on its internal disciplinary processes.
The episode added further pressure to a campaign that was already receiving unusually high national media attention.
For Goodwin, the challenge was therefore not simply to persuade voters to support Reform’s policies. He also had to manage repeated questions about controversies involving himself and people associated with his campaign.
Why Gorton and Denton mattered
The constituency was particularly important because of Labour’s previous dominance.
At the 2024 general election, Labour had won the seat with a majority of more than 13,000 votes. By early 2026, however, the political situation had changed substantially.
Reform’s growing support nationally created the possibility of a serious challenge.
The Greens were also gaining ground, particularly in parts of Gorton, while Reform was stronger in Denton.
That geographical divide produced an unusually unpredictable contest.
A New Statesman report described the election as effectively impossible to call shortly before polling day. It noted that Reform had finished second in Denton in 2024 with 14.1% of the vote and that the party believed the seat could become competitive.
The campaign therefore became a test of whether Reform could turn national momentum into support in a constituency with a very different political history.
Goodwin’s argument to voters
Goodwin’s central message was that Gorton and Denton should use the election to challenge the Labour government.
When Reform announced him as its candidate, he called the contest a “referendum on Keir Starmer”.
He argued that the election represented an opportunity for what he described as hardworking, law-abiding and tax-paying residents to make their views heard.
This strategy reflected Nigel Farage’s broader approach to by-elections.
Rather than treating the contest solely as a local election, Reform sought to turn it into a national test of the government’s popularity.
That approach carries both opportunities and risks for a political party.
A strong result can provide evidence that national support is translating into constituency-level votes.
But controversies surrounding a candidate can also become national stories, potentially overshadowing local issues.
The wider political battle
Labour faced its own problems in Gorton and Denton.
The party’s decision to prevent Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from becoming its candidate created considerable controversy.
Burnham had been viewed by some Labour supporters as a potentially powerful candidate, and the decision intensified debate about the future direction of the party.
The Greens subsequently emerged as a serious contender.
This fragmentation meant that the election could not simply be understood as a direct Labour-versus-Reform contest.
Instead, voters faced a three-way competition involving Labour, Reform and the Greens.
That dynamic made tactical voting and turnout particularly important.
What the controversy means for Goodwin
The allegations concerning Goodwin became part of a wider political narrative surrounding his candidacy, but the reported outcome of the GB News investigation needs to remain central to any factual account.
Goodwin denied harassment.
The internal investigation reportedly found no harassment or misconduct and resulted in no disciplinary action.
Consequently, describing the matter simply as an established case of harassment would not accurately reflect the reported evidence.
At the same time, the fact that allegations were raised and became a major subject of political reporting was itself significant during an election campaign.
For voters, the controversy formed part of a much broader assessment of Goodwin’s public record, Reform UK’s policies and the competing candidates.
The result ultimately moved beyond the controversy
The Gorton and Denton election ultimately demonstrated that the contest could not be reduced to one candidate or one controversy.
The Greens won the by-election, with Reform and Labour also competing strongly, marking a major change from Labour’s previous dominance of the constituency.
The result subsequently generated further political arguments about voting patterns, community mobilisation and the future direction of British politics.
Farage disputed aspects of the result and made claims about the behaviour of some voters, while other politicians rejected those arguments. The Independent reported that concerns were also raised by election observers about alleged family voting at some polling stations, although such observations should not be treated as evidence that the overall result was invalid.
The episode illustrated how quickly a local by-election can become a national political confrontation.
For Matt Goodwin, the campaign placed an already prominent political commentator under intense scrutiny.
The harassment allegations, his previous remarks, the controversy surrounding people associated with his campaign and Reform UK’s broader political programme all became part of the debate surrounding his candidacy.
Yet the factual record concerning the harassment allegation is more limited than some campaign rhetoric suggested.
Goodwin denied wrongdoing, and the reported internal GB News investigation did not find harassment or misconduct.
The wider significance of the episode lies in what it reveals about modern British political campaigns. Candidates with large media profiles can attract attention far beyond their constituencies, while allegations and controversies can rapidly become national political stories.
Gorton and Denton ultimately became much more than a contest between individual candidates. It became a test of Labour’s resilience, Reform UK’s ability to expand beyond its existing support base, and the Greens’ capacity to break through in areas where Labour had historically dominated.
For Goodwin, the election provided a national platform but also subjected his political record and personal conduct to unusually intense scrutiny.
The controversy surrounding the harassment allegation therefore became one chapter in a much larger story about Reform UK, Nigel Farage and the changing political landscape of Greater Manchester.