Greater Manchester police have arrested five people in connection with an investigation into alleged electoral fraud during the local elections in Tameside. The arrests, made on Thursday morning in the Ashton-under-Lyne area, involve four men and a woman aged between 23 and 47, all held on suspicion of fraud offences.
The police said the arrests relate to the process of how candidates were put forward and represented in the ward, and whether this adhered to relevant legislation and electoral procedures. The investigation follows concerns that fake independent candidates were used to influence the outcome of the St Peter's ward election in May.
Labour candidate Atta Ul-Rasool won the St Peter's ward seat with 177 votes more than independent candidate Ahmed Mehmood, making him the only Labour candidate to win a seat in Tameside. Two other independent candidates, Marie Fairhurst and Muhammad Ali, received a combined 291 votes, despite having little visible campaign presence and not responding to contact attempts during the campaign.
After the result, the Tameside Correspondent reported that Fairhurst said she had not been aware she was standing as a candidate. Kaleel Khan, who managed Mehmood's campaign, told the Manchester-based publication The Mill that he intended to challenge the election result at Tameside council.
No charges have been brought, and the police investigation continues.
