Labour accuses Reform candidate of ‘toxic politics’ after Tommy Robinson endorsement

The Guardian - World NewsEN 2 min read 100% complete by Peter Walker Senior political correspondentJanuary 30, 2026 at 03:02 PM

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Labour has criticized Reform UK candidate Matthew Goodwin in the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection after he received an endorsement from far-right figure Tommy Robinson. Robinson publicly urged his followers to vote for Goodwin, prompting Labour to accuse Goodwin of representing "toxic politics." A Reform spokesperson stated that Robinson is not welcome in the party. Labour argues that the endorsement highlights the stakes of the election and positions themselves as the only viable left-wing alternative to Reform. Goodwin, a former academic and GB News presenter, has previously made controversial statements about the British identity of UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds. The byelection is scheduled for February 26th.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Andy Burnham 30% English Defence League 40% GB News 40% The Greens (Green Party of England and Wales) ×250% Greater Manchester ×260% Nigel Farage 60% Gorton and Denton 70% Reform UK ×580% Labour Party (UK) ×580% Matthew Goodwin ×390% Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) ×690%

Keywords

tommy robinson 90% toxic politics 80% reform uk 80% far-right 80% matthew goodwin 70% byelection 70% labour 70% political campaign 60% endorsement 60% anti-islam 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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tommy robinson toxic politics reform uk far-right matthew goodwin byelection labour political campaign endorsement anti-islam

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