Streeting accuses Reform of ‘return to age-old racism’ after by-election candidate’s comments about being British
Wes Streeting accused Reform UK of “reverting back to centuries-old racism that I think we left to the 1970s and 1980s” and attempting to delegitimize Muslim voters following the Gorton and Denton by-elections.
The health secretary hit out after Reform candidate Matt Goodwin was criticized for claiming British-born people of black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds are not always British.
Mr Streeting also accused Mr Goodwin of “saying if you don’t look like me, you can’t really be British, even if you were born here”, after the Reform candidate said “it takes more than a piece of paper to make someone ‘English'”.
Claiming it was “a return to centuries-old racism that I think we left behind in the 1970s and 1980s,” he continued: “This is the most un-British thing I can think of… We all have a responsibility to stand up to this kind of hatred and discrimination.”
Meanwhile, the health secretary, who appeared to distance himself from claims by both Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage that the contest was being run along “sectarian” lines, stressed the importance of defending “the right, voice and space of Muslims in our country to participate in our democracy on equal terms, with equal votes and equal votes”.
Mr Streeting intervened at parliament’s Grand Iftar, organized by the all-party parliamentary group, amid growing speculation that he was preparing a leadership bid to challenge Sir Keir.
This comes after concerns were raised in recent byelections in Gorton and Denton that people were forcing family members to vote a certain way; Nigel Farage claimed the contest was a victory for “sectarian voting and rigging” after Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer won the seat.
He also claimed that Reform candidate Matt Goodwin would have won if only British citizens had voted, saying his party would restrict voting in national elections to British passport holders and remove the right for those who hold Commonwealth citizenship and reside in the UK.
Meanwhile, following the elections, in which Labor fell to third place behind the Greens and Reform in the seats it had previously won with more than half the vote, the prime minister wrote a letter to Labor MPs and accused the Greens of adopting a “divisive, sectarian” form of politics.
Describing the Green Party’s policies as “extreme”, the prime minister claimed that they showed that they were “not the harmless environmentalists they claim to be”.
But in his speech to parliament at the High Iftar, Mr Streeting struck a different tone.
“In recent days, we have seen Muslims embracing British values, going to the polls, voting, taking part in democracy, but there are attempts to delegitimize them and their votes and voices to be counted less than others,” he said.
“When Nigel Farage said Reform had won the by-election in Gorton and Denton among British-born voters, he was saying it had won the by-election among people who looked like him.
“We know that one of the reasons why the Greens won in Gorton and Denton was because so many people in the Muslim community voted for them. One of the reasons why I almost lost in Ilford North at the last election was because so many Muslim people in my constituency voted for me instead.”
Mr Streeting, who won by just 528 votes in the Ilford North constituency in 2024, continued: “Perhaps it is more important that I, and other people like me, defend the rights, voice and space of Muslims in our country to participate in our democracy on equal terms, with equal votes and equal votes.
“They have as much right as anyone else to choose who represents the people in this country.”
Finishing his speech, Mr Streeting jokingly said: “Let me finish by slapping all the right people by saying that this Bible-bashing gay Christian wishes all Muslims here and in our country a Happy Ramadan.”
Sir Keir also addressed the event, telling the crowd that Ramadan strengthens “the bonds of community and bonds of kindness that unite us all” and described the UK as “a community of communities where Muslims are at the forefront of Britain’s story”.
The row over sectarian voting in the election comes after election watchdog group Volunteers for Democracy claimed they witnessed high levels of “family voting” – two voters meeting, colluding or manipulating each other in voting – in the Gorton and Denton byelections.
They said they saw illegal practices at 68 percent of the 22 polling stations observed.
Speculation has been mounting in recent months about a possible leadership bid by the health minister, in the face of devastating approval ratings and questions about the government’s direction.
Although Mr Streeting has dismissed briefings about his alleged leadership ambitions as “incredibly stupid”, there is growing speculation about his plans to challenge Sir Keir Starmer as the prime minister faces growing doubts over his ability to lead the party.
Reform UK has been contacted for comment.
