Nigel Farage visits Denton ahead of February by-election

Nigel Farage visited Denton on Friday 30 January as part of Reform UK’s campaign in the Denton and Gorton by-election, appearing alongside the party’s candidate Matt Goodwin for a day of canvassing and meetings with residents and business owners.

After spending the morning knocking on doors and speaking with shoppers and traders along the high street including stopping for a coffee in Cafe Plus, Farage and Goodwin sat down inside Vault 2, a local restaurant in Denton, where they spoke to the press about why they believe voters should back Reform UK in the upcoming by-election.

The by-election follows the decision of long-serving Labour MP Andrew Gwynne to step down from his role. Gwynne cited health reasons for his resignation, which came after the “Trigger Me Timbers” scandal last year - an episode that drew national attention and renewed scrutiny on the constituency. Gwynne had represented Denton and Gorton since 2005, and the seat has been held by Labour for decades.

The Tameside Reporter asked both politicians why the people of Denton and Gorton should vote for Reform; Farage said the party’s campaign was centred on what he described as frustration among working people and small business owners.

“We are standing for change,” he said. “We think the hollowing out of local businesses in high streets is a result of totally misguided government tax policy, local rate policy, and, indeed, levels of regulation we put on men and women doing their best to have a go.”

The conversation also turned to housing and immigration, which Farage said were among the most emotive issues raised with residents during the day’s canvassing.

“The fact that there are 20 houses, of multiple occupancy, that have just been thrust upon people, living here is a source of real burning anger,” he said. “And they kind of feel that they're victims of government policy, and that their priorities are not being put first.”

Farage drew comparisons with other by-elections where Reform UK has performed strongly, including Runcorn, saying similar frustrations were being voiced in Denton and Gorton.

Nigel Farage said: “And we can't promise to be miracle workers, and we wouldn't promise to be miracle workers, but we can promise that we'll try and prioritise the needs of local people, over young men, who throw their passports into the sea at Dover and get put up for free in the same street in which they live.”

Matt Goodwin and Nigel Farage with members of Reform UK that were out canvassing around Denton.

Goodwin, Reform UK’s candidate for Gorton and Denton, said the past few days he has spent canvassing had reinforced his belief that many residents feel disconnected from politics altogether.

“I spoke to a lady just yesterday while canvassing in Denton,” he said. “She told me she’s lived there for 34 years and nobody from politics had ever knocked on her door. Not once. That tells you everything.”

Goodwin said he believed long-standing Labour control of the area had led to voters being “taken for granted”.

Goodwin argued that electing a Reform UK MP would change how Denton and Gorton are viewed nationally.

“What I'm saying to voters locally is, send a message to Westminster, vote Reform UK, get Kier Starmer out, but also put this area back on the map,” Matt said. “They will not ignore this area if it has a Reform MP. They will not look past the people in Gorton and Denton if they have a Reform MP. That is what we've seen in Clacton when Nigel was elected, what we've seen in Runcorn with Sarah Pochin, it’s what we've seen in Boston and Skegness with Richard Tice. Everybody suddenly pays attention to that local area.”

Goodwin pointed to the Denton high street as an example of what he described as missed potential.

Goodwin told the Tameside Reporter: “Take a walk down the street here, go into the businesses, ask them what they're experiencing locally.

“Look how many vape shops there are. Look how many barbers there are. Look at how lovely the buildings are down here on the left, but you can see the sense of neglect. And what I'm hearing locally is we've had enough of this.

“They lost the market, that really irritated people. They have had enough of this ongoing neglect and being treated, essentially, with a sense of contempt by the Labour Party.”

He added that cost-of-living pressures were raised repeatedly during conversations with residents: “HMOs are a big issue. Cost of living is absolutely enormous in the area. Energy builds through the roof, tax bills through the roof.”

Goodwin criticised government policy towards small firms, arguing that many local businesses feel under pressure from tax rises, national insurance increases and regulation.

“So many people around here are working with their sons, their cousins, their brothers,” he said. “They’re saying it doesn’t make sense anymore. It’s becoming almost impossible to run a business.”

“So many people around here, if you watch in the vans, they're working with the sons, or their cousins, or their brothers, and they're saying, ‘this doesn't make sense for me anymore’. It's almost becoming impossible to run a business.”

Farage said the response to Reform UK’s visit had been visible even beyond the doorstep conversations.

“Just walking down the street today we’ve seen people shouting out of car windows and lorry windows. People who work, you know, and they're beginning to ask themselves, ‘why do we bother?’”

The by-election will be held on the 26th of February. Candidates that have already been confirmed include Matt Goodwin for Reform UK, Jackie Pearcey for the Liberal Democrats and Hannah Spencer for The Green Party.