Farage Taps GB News Host for Seat Labour’s Burnham Wanted

Matt Goodwin is announced as Reform UK candidate for Gorton and Denton on Jan. 27.Photographer: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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By James Woolcock

January 27, 2026 at 3:05 PM UTC

Updated on

January 27, 2026 at 6:31 PM UTC

Nigel Farage’s poll-leading Reform UK party said GB News presenter Matthew Goodwin will be its candidate for the special election in Gorton and Denton, the parliamentary seat where the governing Labour Party blocked Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing.

The seat was freed up last week when the sitting MP, Andrew Gwynne, said he was stepping down for health reasons. He won the constituency with a 37% majority for Labour in 2024, but the governing party’s dramatic fall in national polling since then means Reform and the Green Party are seen as serious contenders to win the Feb. 26 by-election.