- Wes Streeting accused Reform UK and candidate Matt Goodwin of a "return to age-old racism" for questioning the British identity of UK-born individuals from immigrant backgrounds.
- Mr Streeting criticised Goodwin's remarks that "it takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody 'British'", calling it "the most un-British thing I can think of".
- He appeared to distance himself from claims by Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage that the Gorton and Denton by-election was fought on "sectarian" lines, instead defending the right of Muslim voters to participate equally in democracy.
- Streeting highlighted that the Green Party's victory in Gorton and Denton was partly due to Muslim community votes, contrasting with Nigel Farage's claim that Reform won among "British-born voters".
- The comments were made at the Big Iftar in parliament amid growing speculation about Mr Streeting's potential leadership ambitions within the Labour Party.
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