Reform byelection candidate refuses to disown claim that people born in UK not necessarily British

"The Reform UK candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection has refused to disown his claim that UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British. Matthew Goodwin, a hard-right activist, was unveiled on Tuesday as the party's candidate in the demographically diverse seat in south-east Manchester. Goodwin has been criticised for claiming recently that people from black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds were not always British, saying: It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody British'."

"Nearly half of the Gorton and Denton population 44% identifies as coming from a minority ethnic background, while 79% of the constituency identifies as British, according to the latest census. Goodwin refused to answer the Guardian's questions as he posed for photographs alongside Lee Anderson, the Reform UK MP, at a bar in Denton. Anderson, the party's chief whip, described the Manchester-born academic as a fearless activist who would debate anybody at any time."

"Goodwin's selection as the Reform UK candidate has surprised some commentators, given his outspoken views on British nationality and Islam. Only three weeks ago, he wrote that Britain's ruling class was silencing debate about Islam in one of the most serious assaults on free speech and free expression Britain has ever seen. More than one in four voters in Gorton and Denton identify as Muslim."

Matthew Goodwin refused to disown his claim that UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British. He said that "It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody British." The Gorton and Denton seat is demographically diverse, with 44% identifying as from a minority ethnic background and 79% identifying as British. The claim drew criticism, with Liberal Democrats calling the views racist and abhorrent. Goodwin posed for photographs with Reform MP Lee Anderson. Reform UK seeks to overturn Labour's 13,000-vote majority while the Green party mounts a strong challenge.

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