"I'm not sure anyone wants any more of your hot air"
The Green Party candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election has turned down Reform’s Matt Goodwin’s offer of a one-on-one debate, with a pointed reply.
Goodwin skipped a debate with fellow candidates last week, and has had the chance to debate his fellow candidates twice, at the Manchester Evening News hustings last Thursday and a BBC debate today.
In his letter to the Green candidate Hannah Spencer, the Reform candidate complained that the debates had left “limited room for serious discussion about the challenges facing the people of Gorton & Denton”.
Goodwin also claimed that “there’s been a great deal of misinformation about this campaign and the candidates”, and that “there has not been sufficient scrutiny of our respective platforms”.
In response to his challenge, Spencer said: “Hi Matt, we literally just debated in the BBC studio and last week at the Manchester Evening News hustings. It’s not a game of the best of three.
“It sounds like you’re concerned you didn’t come across very well and want another go. I’m not sure anyone wants any more of your hot air and I’m focusing my time now on knocking on doors to talk about what really matters to the people of Gorton and Denton.”
Although Labour currently holds the seat, both the Greens and Reform are framing the by-election as a battle between their parties, not Labour.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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