- Post author:dizzy
- Post published:30 January 2026
- Post category:Airstrip One/Green Party/Neo-liberalism/new authoritarianism/plutocracy/politics/USUK
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Manchester by-election a battle ‘for the soul of our country’
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/manchester-election-battle-soul-our-country
GB News presenter Matthew Goodwin speaking at the Reform UK annual conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, September 5, 2025…
Green leader Zack Polanski, whose party is in a race with Reform to win the Labour-held seat, said Goodwin’s candidacy was an insult to the constituency.
Mr Goodwin had “a track record of anti-Muslim bigotry,” Mr Polanski said, terming the campaign a battle “for the soul of our country.”
The advent of Mr Goodwin further enflamed the by-election, already at the centre of controversy after Keir Starmer acted to block popular Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham from standing for the seat, which Labour held in 2024 with a 13,000 majority.
The Reform candidate, once a liberal academic before journeying to the far right, has attracted particular controversy for claiming that being born in Britain does not necessarily make someone British.
People from black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds were not always British, he said: “It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody ‘British’.”
He has declined to qualify that claim, despite seeking election in a seat in which 44 per cent of voters identify as from an ethnic minority.
The battle for the soul of the Labour Party also heated up, with new Unison leader Andrea Egan and former party chair Ian Lavery MP both slamming Sir Keir’s leadership.
Ms Egan, writing in Tribune, warned that “the first far-right government in our history is a very real prospect” — a prospect she described as “existential” for trade unionists and democrats.
“But from witnessing the recent behaviour of Labour’s ruling faction, you wouldn’t know it. Spearheaded from Downing Street, this narrow Westminster grouping often gives the impression it would rather hand the country over to Farage and put the labour movement’s survival on the line than consider any change in policy direction or lose the slightest control over the party machine.”
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Original article is at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/manchester-election-battle-soul-our-country
Muslim Voter Group To Endorse Greens In Gorton And Denton By-Election
[PoliticsHome] Exclusive: A pressure group focused on who Muslims should support in elections will endorse the Green Party in Gorton and Denton.
The Muslim Vote, set up in late 2023, endorsed the four independent candidates who were elected at the 2024 general election on campaigns centred on the war in Gaza. They were Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohammed.
The group has told PoliticsHome that it will support the Green candidate in the upcoming contest to replace Andrew Gwynne, who has resigned as a Labour MP for health reasons.
The party is yet to select its candidate, but the New Statesman reported over the weekend that it will not be leader Zack Polanski. The Greater Manchester seat has a significant Muslim population.
This will remain the case even if George Galloway’s Workers’ Party decides to contest the seat, the group said. The party came fourth in Gorton and Denton in 2024, and Galloway has historically enjoyed high levels of support among Muslim voters.
PoliticsHome understands that the Muslim Vote was open to supporting the candidacy of Andy Burnham in the event of the Greater Manchester Mayor being the Labour candidate.
However, on Sunday, Burnham’s desire to stand was rejected by members of Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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Article continues at https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/muslim-voter-group-to-endorse-greens-in-gorton-and-denton-by-election
Scottish Greens restore links with England and Wales
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/scottish-greens-restore-links-england-and-wales
Green Party leader Zack Polanski (left)attends a protest taking aim at Rachel Reeves’ wealth tax at Parliament Square in London, November 25, 2025SCOTTISH GREENS announced today the party will re-establish formal ties with the Green Party of England & Wales.
The move overturns a 2022 conference decision to step away from the relationship amid a row over alleged transphobia and a lack of respect for devolution among colleagues in England and Wales.
The move to restore formal ties follows a motion to the party council in December in the wake of the election of Zack Polanski as leader down south.
Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer said: “Zack has made his position on Scottish independence and trans rights absolutely clear and has put equality and democracy at the heart of his leadership.
“Our team are looking forward to working with him to elect a record number of Greens in Scotland, Wales and England next May.”
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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/scottish-greens-restore-links-england-and-wales