This election is an appeal for trust, a battle against fear and a straight fight between Greens and Reform | Hannah Spencer

I didn’t grow up planning to be a politician. I’m a tradesperson from Manchester. I left school at 16 and have been a plumber ever since. Last week, I also qualified as a plasterer, with a distinction. So until now, I’ve spent my working life fixing homes. But after years of watching things fall apart, I’m done waiting for someone else to change things. It’s time to turn my hand to fixing whole communities – and join our Green MPs determined to repair our broken politics.

Gorton and Denton deserves an MP rooted in this community – someone who works here, understands this place and genuinely cares. After thousands of doorstep conversations, it’s clear people are done with Labour. This byelection is now a straight fight between the Green party and Reform UK. Labour knows it, and Reform’s candidate, Matthew Goodwin, knows it too.

We’ve already debated three times. When Goodwin wanted another head‑to‑head, I declined. I’d rather spend my time doing what matters: speaking directly to the people I grew up with – the neighbours who make this proud, diverse community what it is. I’m fighting for lower bills, for neighbourhoods scarred by austerity and underinvestment, and to stop the privatisation of the NHS. I’ve felt many of the pressures my neighbours face, which is why I’m determined to take their voices to parliament.

I did invite Goodwin to join me for a proper day’s work: getting under floorboards and fitting central heating. It might be useful experience for someone who spends so much time in TV studios.

While we were at it, we could talk about net zero. Tackling the climate crisis and making people’s homes more comfortable isn’t “stupid”, as Reform likes to claim – it’s common sense, especially here. One in three households in Gorton and Denton live in fuel poverty. Insulating homes would keep people warm in winter, cool in summer and slash bills. We’ve got some of the leakiest homes in Europe – as I know full well from working on hundreds of them.

So why aren’t we fixing them? Could it be because political parties have taken money from fossil fuel interests for too long? Those donors have nothing to gain from insulated homes, reduced energy use and lower bills. We know that fossil fuel proponents and wealthy climate sceptics have been among those helping to bankroll Reform.

We’ve always said this byelection is a battle between hope and hate. Reform UK has once again used immigration to whip up division. I understand people’s frustration with the current system – I share it. I don’t want to see £6m a day of public money spent keeping people seeking asylum in hotels. It’s unfair when so many young people and families can’t afford a home or are paying sky‑high rents.

But there’s something Reform never challenges. Britain’s three biggest asylum housing contractors – Clearsprings, Serco and Mears – were set for record profits in 2025. Hundreds of millions of pounds, paid by taxpayers. Instead, it points the finger at vulnerable people fleeing war and persecution.

As a local councillor, I’ve seen that people seeking asylum don’t want to sit in hotel rooms – I know I wouldn’t. They want to be out working. I’ve seen a group of lads plant 500 bulbs in a local park. They were desperate to contribute. They have skills; we have a skills shortage. Yet they’re trapped, forced to listen to the divisive rhetoric of Reform, and far‑right thugs shouting abuse outside their windows.

But this is not who we are in Manchester. We are not living on what Keir Starmer once called an “island of strangers” and we don’t want our immigrant neighbours living in fear. We look out for each other, we graft together and we muddle along. Our city has a long and proud history of welcoming people because we know we are stronger for it.

The support Green members and activists have brought – many local, many travelling from across the country – has been overwhelming. After nearly 20,000 doorstep conversations, one message rings out: people want to trust politics again.

I want to help rebuild that trust. Politics shouldn’t be something done to people – it should be done with us; the people who keep this country going deserve a real say in how it’s run.

If I’m elected on Thursday, it will send shockwaves through the political establishment and show that the old way of doing politics is over. And once I get my foot in the door, I’ll hold it open for others to follow. The establishment’s days are numbered.

• Hannah Spencer is the Green party candidate in this week’s Gorton and Denton byelection