Infamous Islamophobe Tommy Robinson has thrown his weight behind Reform UK’s candidate, Matt Goodwin, in the key Gorton and Denton by-election, dramatically escalating fears that far-right forces are mobilising to seize the seat from Labour and stop the Green Party.
The endorsement came via an X post on Friday, when Robinson simply said “Vote for Matt” shortly after Reform UK had announced Goodwin as their candidate for the seat.
This isn’t the first time Robinson has called on his far-right supporters to back Reform UK, but the anti-Islam activist has also criticised the party and its leader, Nigel Farage, on numerous occasions.
The move will be uncomfortable for Farage, who has consistently worked to keep all the parties he has ever led separate from Robinson in an attempt to swat off accusations that he or his current party, Reform UK, are far-right.
Reform has long been accused of being a “racist” party which fuels an environment of increased tension and hate, particularly against immigrant and Muslim communities living in Britain.
A Reform spokesperson said in response: “We have consistently been clear on this issue. He isn’t welcome in the party.”
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, first came to notoriety as the leader of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam street group based initially around fellow football fans in his home town of Luton.
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Since his return to X after Elon Musk took over the social media platform, Robinson has amassed a new following across the UK and led far-right anti-Islam protests in central London, which on one occasion attracted over 100,000 attendees.
Backlash and condemnation
Labour has accused the Reform candidate, Goodwin, of representing “toxic politics” after he was endorsed by the far-right agitator.
“Tommy Robinson’s endorsement of Reform’s candidate shows who he really is and what he stands for,” a Labour campaign spokesperson reportedly said.
“The Greens simply cannot win this by-election, leaving a stark choice between unity and change with Labour, or division and risk with Reform. Only a vote for Labour can stop the toxic politics that Reform and Tommy Robinson would bring to Manchester.”
The Green Party has also launched its own candidate and pitched the party as the main option for voters wanting to stop Reform.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said there were “just days to stop Reform” as he unveiled councillor Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, as the Green candidate. Polanski said: “Hannah Spencer will be a brilliant MP for the people of Gorton and Denton.
“I’m a Mancunian and know when someone genuinely wants to roll up their sleeves and work for the community. Hannah is that person. We have just days to stop Reform and make hope normal again.”
Spencer said: “This is a crucial by-election. The choice is clear. Green v Reform. Hope v hate. Only the Green Party can stop Reform in this by-election.”
Reform UK: a threat to Muslims
Reform UK is a right-wing political party which has a long track record of verbally targeting the Muslim community over immigration, demographic changes and cultural differences.
The religion of Islam itself has also been targeted by senior figures within the party, who have called for a burka ban in Britain, legislation outlawing Islamic law, and the banning of voluntary sharia courts.
On 16 January, Reform UK’s mayoral candidate for London, Laila Cunningham, was accused of endangering Muslims after she said women wearing the burka should be subject to stop and search.
In June 2025, Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin called for a UK-wide ban on the burka during Prime Minister’s Questions, citing “public safety” and cultural integration. She has since appeared on British media platforms claiming that the Islamic dress code is oppressive towards women.
Reform UK MP and former leader Richard Tice has also called for sharia to be made illegal.
Discussing the rise of “religious sectarianism”, Tice warned that “Islamist extremists” have a legitimate chance of being elected to Parliament and said the British judicial system must get ahead of the game by banning the practice of sharia.
The party has become an attractive option for other politicians who have been accused of Islamophobia.
Former Conservative MP Robert Jenrick who recently defected to Reform has been accused of Islamophobia for saying police should have “immediately arrested” Muslim protesters chanting Allahu Akbar during last year’s Gaza ceasefire protests.
Mr Jenrick said the Arabic phrase for God is Greatest had been “abused” by “extremists” to intimidate people.
In 2024, England was engulfed by far-right riots as mobs of mostly white British men attacked hotels, mosques and immigrant areas of towns and cities up and down the country following the deadly Southport knife attack, which led to the heartbreaking deaths of three children.
Muslims were blamed for the attack due to a far-right misinformation campaign peddled online which claimed the attacker was a Muslim refugee who had entered the UK illegally on a boat. It later became clear that the offender, Axel Rudakubana, had been raised in a Christian household in Wales.
The Islamophobic riots were labelled the “Farage riots” at the time by some activists, who blamed Reform UK’s hateful language and divisive rhetoric for the rise in Islamophobic hostility in Britain.
Farage passionately denied any role in the riots and rebuked the label “Farage riots”.
As polling suggests Reform UK could perform strongly in the next general election, Muslims across Britain have expressed fear and concern that the party’s rise will inspire further hostility against their community.
Some Muslim activists, including The Muslim Vote (TMV) campaign group, are spearheading an effort to encourage Muslim voters to vote tactically to undermine Reform UK, including in Gorton and Denton, an area which has a 30% Muslim population.
In an opinion article published on 5Pillars, TMV’s spokesperson Abubakr Nanabawa said: “Muslim voters will undoubtedly play an important role in this by-election, as they have in many recent contests, but this election is about more than one community. It will test whether voters across the constituency can unite behind a candidate who genuinely reflects local priorities and offers a clear break from the messy politics of Westminster.
“If we are to see both Labour and Reform defeated, unity among progressive forces is essential. Fragmentation at such a crucial moment will guarantee an outcome that does not benefit the people of Gorton and Denton.”
