It was reported on 20 February that a young woman had accused Matt Goodwin, Reform candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, of making inappropriate remarks towards her. The accuser was reported to have been working at ‘GB News’ at the time of the alleged incident with the remarks considered to rise to the level of sexual harassment.
The incident reportedly happened last year and one of the comments he made towards her was said to have been about her appearance. Goodwin is understood to have apologised when the matter was raised.
The complaint was made to the HR department at ‘GB News’ with the accuser said to have left ‘GB News’ for unrelated reasons.
It was also reported that Nigel Farage had been aware of the complaint before Goodwin was selected as the Reform candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election, which throws into question Reform’s vetting of candidates.
Other Goodwin controversies
The Guardian reported earlier in February that Goodwin had called for girls and young women to be given what was described as a ‘biological reality’ check.
A keen observer noted that Goodwin posted on his YouTube channel that “many women are having children far too late in life”.
“We need to also explain to young women the biological reality of the crisis. Many women are having children much too late in life and would prefer to have children much earlier on”.
Furthermore it has been reported that Goodwin has called for people who don’t have children to pay extra tax. A post had been discovered by The Independent, where Goodwin talked about imposing a “negative child benefit tax” on people “who don’t have offspring”.
A candidate for all?
Matt Goodwin started out as a well-respected academic, who did a lot of useful research into the far-right. It now seems clear however, that he has got himself lost down a rabbit hole, where extreme views proliferate. The kind of language Goodwin has been using is eerily reminiscent to some people of the kind of language used by the Nazis 90 years ago and in Italy under Mussolini. It is not Goodwin’s, or indeed the government’s, decision if, when and how many children anyone should have in a free society. These views are part of what makes Goodwin a controversial candidate for parliament.
The other consideration is what Goodwin is not talking about. While obsessing about fertility rates and how many children women should have and when, very little is known about Goodwin’s views on the things that really matter: the NHS, the cost of living crisis, education, the environment and public transport to name just a few.
Goodwin’s rhetoric presents him as a candidate for a party that claims to be for the people. But his statements paint the picture that he may well only act in the interests of some, but not all. The selection of Goodwin as the candidate for Reform, with his controversial views, statements and the allegations levied against him, begs the question: does Reform really have the answers to the problems of voters in Gorton and Denton (or anywhere else in this country for that matter)?
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