Greater Manchester Police are facing calls to investigate allegations of widespread voter fraud in the Gorton and Denton by-election, which saw the Green Party secure a historic victory. The independent monitoring group Democracy Volunteers reported that so-called 'family voting' — where a person accompanies a relative into a polling booth to influence their vote — was observed at two-thirds of polling stations visited, potentially affecting one in eight votes cast.
The practice, which is a criminal offence, has prompted Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, to demand action. Reform UK finished 4,402 votes behind the Greens, and Farage described the result as a 'victory for sectarian voting and cheating'. He urged both the police and the Electoral Commission to investigate the claims, warning that the incidents raised serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas.
The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the previously safe Labour seat, pushing Labour into third place and triggering renewed calls for Sir Keir Starmer to resign. The result was immediately overshadowed by allegations of sectarianism after the Greens targeted the constituency's large Muslim population with messages about the war in Gaza. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Labour of having 'created the monster of harvesting Muslim community bloc votes', adding that 'that monster came back to bite them'.
Democracy Volunteers said the level of family voting was the highest seen in a decade of monitoring UK elections. The group also reported voters taking photos of their ballot papers and one instance of an individual being allowed to vote despite already having cast a ballot. Manchester City Council said no issues had been reported and criticised the timing of the allegations, but the monitoring group said it followed international standards by not commenting until after polls closed.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned that the Greens' 'extreme' policies, including legalising all drugs and withdrawing from Nato, posed a threat to Britain. He criticised Green leader Zack Polanski for accepting an endorsement from veteran left-wing figure George Galloway, describing it as a sign of the party's willingness to embrace divisive, sectarian politics.
