Green Party leader Zack Polanski said there were “just days to stop Reform” as he unveiled his candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Labour won the seat in Greater Manchester with more than half the vote – 18,555 – in 2024, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK coming second on 5,142 votes, narrowly beating the Greens at 4,810.
With polls suggesting support for Sir Keir Starmer’s party is crumbling, the Greens have sought to pitch themselves as the main option for voters wanting to stop Reform as leader Mr Polanski seeks to supplant Labour.
Mr Farage joined the Reform candidate, GB News presenter and former academic Matt Goodwin, in Denton for a walkabout on Friday morning.
Mr Polanski visited the seat as councillor Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, was announced as the Green candidate.
The Green leader said: “Hannah Spencer will be a brilliant MP for the people of Gorton and Denton.
“I’m a Mancunian and know when someone genuinely wants to roll up their sleeves and work for the community. Hannah is that person.
“We have just days to stop Reform and make hope normal again.”
Ms Spencer said: “This is a crucial by-election. The choice is clear – Green v Reform. Hope v hate.
“Only the Green Party can stop Reform in this by-election.”
She claimed Reform was “a party that loves Trump, that is backed by big finance and an extreme candidate who sees this place as just a rung on the radical right career”.
Mr Goodwin has previously said that “Britishness requires more than a piece of paper” and has been backed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Ms Spencer said: “Muslims don’t keep me awake at night. I don’t lose sleep over trans people trying to exist in peace. What keeps me up at night is child poverty.
“I don’t believe that solidarity ends on our streets. I don’t believe it ends in our town or on the UK’s borders.”
Mr Farage insisted Muslim voters had nothing to fear from Reform.
He said: “I wouldn’t have thought so, would you? I mean, look, we’ve got very prominent Muslim people, we’ve got a Muslim woman, who’s going to stand for us, for the mayor of London contest, against Sadiq Khan.
“So, no, there are plenty of members of the Muslim community who will vote for Reform, support Reform.”
