A 2024 clip of Mehdi Hasan fact-checking Matt Goodwin has gone viral after he was selected as Reform’s candidate for Gorton and Denton by-election.
This week, GB News host and hard-right academic Goodwin was unveiled as Reform’s candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election.
His selection has caused controversy as Goodwin is known for his strong anti-migrant views.
Several videos of Goodwin have gone viral since his unveiling, including one in which he is ruthlessly fact-checked by journalist Mehdi Hasan over false claims he made regarding social housing occupants.
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In the clip, from October 2024, Hasan explains to Goodwin how his claim that “50 per cent of social housing in London is occupied by people who are not British” is completely false.
Hasan points out that the level of people who are not British in London’s social housing is actually around 14 per cent.
Across the country, this rises to 90 per cent, making Goodwin’s claims completely wrong.
Despite quoting official statistics to Goodwin from the Mayor of London, London government and Ministry of Housing, Goodwin continues to try and defend his statement.
As he changes his words to make a different point, Hasan doesn’t let up, and does his best to get Goodwin to admit his claim was factually incorrect.
Goodwin says he would “need to see the figures,” even though Hasan is quoting them directly to him.
“You’re making sweeping claims and they’re wrong,” he tells Goodwin.
Sharing the clip on social media, one person said Goodwin was a “liar, charlatan and conman.”
Another said he was “cooked and debunked” by Hasan.
A third said Goodwin was “completely owned about flawed data.”
The clip is from a longer conversation between Hasan and Goodwin from Al Jazeera’s Head to Head series.
You can watch the full video below.