'Anyone is better than Keir Starmer': Manchester's lesson in 21st century politics

‘I’m 33 now, I’ve worked since I was 15 and paid all my life and I’m scared to walk the streets,’ says Mary, who works fulltime in retail and still lives in Denton with her parents, something she refers to with a biting frustration. Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/user/theguardian?sub_confirmation=1 Her friend Lexi, who has two children, holds down three different jobs – as a care support worker, a dinner lady and a cleaner – and says she is just about holding everything together. But what they most want to talk about is immigration. When I say that without people from abroad, some of the UK’s most basic services would fall apart, they both agree: ‘They’re absolutely fine. It’s the people on the streets, and the ones coming in on boats.’ They share a somewhat strange belief that the middle of Manchester is now so dangerous that visiting is unthinkable. Both say appreciative things about Nigel Farage and his party, but add they have not yet decided who to vote for. One thing, though, is clear: ‘It won’t be Labour,’ says Lexi. As a fierce contest takes shape between Labour, Reform UK and the Greens, the Guardian journalists John Harris and John Domokos take the temperature in an area of Manchester that feels like a microcosm of Britain. Harris, who also presents our podcast Politics Weekly, spends time in Denton, a part of the seat where voters are thought to be 83% white and 86% UK-born and where the hills on the edge of the Peak District are suddenly within sight. The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://www.support.theguardian.com Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/guardian The Guardian on YouTube: Guardian News ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiannews Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianaustralia Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball Football Weekly ► https://www.youtube.com/@footballweeklypodcast Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport It's Complicated ► https://www.youtube.com/@itscomplicated Guardian Live ► https://www.youtube.com/@GuardianLive #anywherebutwestminster #gortonanddenton #manchester #politics #uk #immigration #polarisation #reformuk #greenparty #labour