Is this the nastiest by-election we've ever had?

TWISTS AND TURNS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

- By BETH ABBIT

THERE have been shenanigans, heated words and in fact enough hot air to create a new microclimate.

But there have also been complaints to the police, security details and an effigy placed outside a primary school.

With a week to go before voters head to the polls in Gorton and Denton there is no sign of the temperature dropping. From the kickoff this has been a nasty campaign.

The backbiting and fighting among the three frontrunners - standing for Labour, the Green Party and Reform UK - has been, at times, brutal.

Pushing for change in an area held by Labour for decades are the Green Party's Hannah Spencer and Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin - two bullish candidates diametrically opposed in their politics.

Both mobilised quickly, pounding the pavements, leafleting like mad and bombastically on brand during well-attended rallies.

Slower out of the blocks thanks to Labour's headline-grabbing blocking of Andy Burnham and a long-winded selection process, was Angeliki Stogia.

But even before Labour had picked a candidate, the party had seized on their rivals.

When Reform’s chief whip Lee Anderson appeared to start a campaign trail in the wrong constituency, Angela Rayner couldn't resist poking fun at the party’s map reading skills.

The Greens were also mocked for a series of leafleting typos in which they misspelt Gorton as ‘Gorten!

So far, so fair.

Then things ramped up.

Reform announced they had reported Labour to Greater Manchester Police over an allegedly “misleading” video attacking Mr Goodwin.

A few days later, Labour Party chair Anna Turley wrote to Mr Goodwin urging him to make clear whether he would welcome the support of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who had appeared to endorse the Reform candidate on X.

Reform said they had been “consistently clear” that Robinson “isn’t welcome in the party”.