Sir Keir Starmer is 'panicking' about today's Manchester by-election - which could cost him his job, Nigel Farage says in last-ditch rallying cry before polls open
Nigel Farage has accused Keir Starmer of 'panicking' about the result of a crunch by-election in Manchester which could determine his survival in Downing Street.Voters in Gorton and Denton go to the polls on Thursday in what was once a safe Labour seat, but which has turned into a bitter three-way battle.Labour's Andrew Gwynne held the south Manchester constituency with a majority of more than 13,000 at the last election in 2024.But polls suggest Labour's support has collapsed leaving it in a three-way fight with Reform and the Greens.Labour's chances have been dented further by Sir Keir's panicked decision to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing.One source on the ground told the Mail: 'Anyone who tells you they know which way it's going to go is lying.'Mr Farage, who arrived in the constituency on Wednesday evening ahead of a day of rallying supporters to get out and vote, urged people to back Reform to give the government a bloody nose.'Our message on election day is clear,' he said. 'The Prime Minister is panicking and knows he has broken his promises to the British people. Panic: Sir Keir has made just one fleeting visit to the must-win contest since controversially blocking Andy Burnham from standing Nigel Farage campaigning in Gorton and Denton with Reform's candidate Matt Goodwin'Vote Reform to ditch Starmer.' The contest in Manchester has been beset by allegations of dirty tricks, with parties repeatedly referring each other's candidates to the police.In the latest twist, the Greens accused Labour of handing out leaflets from an 'entirely fictitious' tactical voting organisation urging voters to back Sir Keir's party.The leaflets from 'Tactical Choice' carry a supposed poll that put Labour and Reform neck and neck when 'not including polling funded by Green Party donors'.They add: 'Based on a new prediction published in the last 24 hours we are recommending voting Labour.'A Green Party spokesman said: 'In a final throw of desperation, Labour have made up an entirely fictitious organisation called 'Tactical Choice' referencing them on their final leaflet. They've had to make this up because every actual tactical voting organisation has endorsed the Green Party as the best hope to keep Reform out in this election.'For its part, Labour has accused the Greens of 'whipping up hatred' over Gaza in parts of the constituency with a large Muslim population. The party even put out a campaign video in Urdu which featured images of David Lammy shaking hands with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell said the Green campaign had been 'characterised by misinformation, with dodgy bar charts'.However, Labour put out a leaflet of its own with a bar chart showing it neck and neck with Reform – but omitting the Greens in the lead.Mr Gwynne, a former health minister, was sacked last year over offensive WhatsApp messages, including one in which he said he hoped for the death of an elderly constituent who complained about local bin collections.He quit parliament last month on health grounds, opening up a potential route for Mr Burnham to return to parliament where he would be able to challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership.But Sir Keir vetoed his candidacy, plunging the result of the by-election into doubt.Labour MPs believe that he could face a challenge to his leadership if the by-election is lost. But supporters believe that victory would vindicate his decision to block Mr Burnham and give the PM vital momentum as he heads towards difficult local elections in May.A spokesman for Sir Keir acknowledged that the result could come down to a handful of votes – and urged disaffected supporters not to risk letting Reform win.The PM, who made only one lighting campaign visit to the seat, claimed that the contest is a straight fight between Labour and Reform, despite polls suggesting a narrow lead for the Greens.On Wednesday night, he characterised the contest as a 'stark' choice between 'unity and division', claiming that Reform would 'drive a wedge between communities.However, the Greens were buoyed by a poll this week suggesting that local plumber Hannah Spencer could score an unlikely victory.The Opinium poll put the Greens on 30 per cent, Labour on 28 and Reform on 27, leaving all three parties within the margin of error.
