Matthew Goodwin has just spent eight hours canvassing on the streets of Denton, where in next week’s Gorton and Denton by-election he’s hoping to become Reform UK’s ninth MP. The election was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Andrew Gwynne, who was sacked last year after he sent a series of offensive WhatsApp messages. “It was like hitting pause on my life,” Goodwin recalls of the moment he was chosen to be Reform’s candidate. “I threw myself into this. And from day one, I’ve canvassed every single day and, most days, I’ve canvassed three times a day.” Gorton and...