Keir Starmer warns of ‘descent into hostility’ if Reform wins crunch by election

Keir Starmer paid a surprise visit to Gorton and Denton, in Greater Manchester, where a hotly contested by-election will be held on Thursday as Labour battles Reform

Keir Starmer has warned of a descent into “hostility” if Reform wins a crunch by-election this week.

The Prime Minister paid a surprise visit to Gorton and Denton, in Greater Manchestertoday where a hotly contested vote will be held on Thursday. He is understood to have met Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the pair set aside their differences to battle to win the seat, which Labour won with a majority of 13,413 in 2024.

It comes after Labour’s ruling body – including Mr Starmer – voted to block Mr Burnham from standing in the contest. The Greater Manchester Mayor, who is hinted at his leadership ambitions, has hit the campaign trail with candidate Angeliki Stogia in recent weeks.

At a gathering with party faithful, Mr Starmer said it was a “straight fight” with Nigel Farage’s party, adding: “Let us let hope win over hostility”. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News: “This is a straight fight between Labour and Reform. Only Labour can beat Reform in this constituency and that’s because we care about bringing communities together.

“Because we have a candidate that’s rooted in public service, who wants to make sure every single person has a voice, up against the politics of division, which is not the politics of Manchester.

“And frankly we saw here in Manchester on Saturday with the (Britain First) march (is) exactly where that kind of divisive politics takes you.”

Mr Starmer accused Reform of seeking the seat to use as “a platform for hatred and division and tearing people apart”. He said: “That is not the politics of this constituency. That is not the politics of this country.

“And we must be in this fight, fighting for all the people that will be affected by decisions made here on Thursday and making sure that they have the hope to go forward, that better support from a Labour Government and to make sure that we do not descend into hostility, which would follow a Reform win.”

The PM also lashed out at the Greens over their “disgusting” drug legalisation policy. Speaking to party faithful, he said: “In this by-election a vote for the Green Party is, in effect, a vote for Reform. And we saw in the by-election in Runcorn last year, where Labour lost by just a handful of votes, we got a Reform Member of Parliament. We mustn’t let that happen again.

“When it comes to the Green Party, look at their drugs policy: they say we should legalise heroin and crack cocaine. Imagine what would happen in every park and every playground in this constituency if that happened.

“I have to say, as a father of a boy who’s 17-and-a-half, the idea that the Green Party would make the argument that just, in a few months time, it should be perfectly lawful to sell him heroin and crack cocaine. I find that disgusting.”

Tonight, Labour’s Chief Whip Jonny Reynolds told MPs: “This by-election is a head-to-head battle between Labour and Reform.

“A vote for the Greens is a vote for Reform. Remember what happened at the Runcorn by-election – a few more Labour votes and they wouldn’t have a Reform MP.

“This Thursday, voters in Gorton and Denton have a clear choice: a candidate rooted in the community or a party pushing divisive politics. Whether it’s bringing down mortgage costs, extending access to free childcare support or freezing rail fares, Labour is tackling the cost of living, which is the number one priority for local residents.”