Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have concluded their investigation into allegations of corrupt voting during the Gorton and Denton byelection, finding no evidence of criminality. The inquiry was prompted by complaints from Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage had claimed the contest was 'a victory for cheating'. The Green party won the seat, overturning a Labour majority of over 13,000 votes.
The election observers' group Democracy Volunteers reported witnessing 'concerningly high levels' of so-called family voting, where one family member dictates how others vote. However, GMP stated that the volunteers did not allege any verbal instruction or physical conduct indicating coercion, which is a 'crucial part of the legislation to prove such an offence was committed' under the Representation of the People Act 1983.
Police sought CCTV from all 45 polling stations, but most did not record footage to protect voter secrecy. Available footage from three stations showed no evidence of wrongdoing. Detectives also spoke to senior officials, none of whom received reports of corrupt voting beyond those from Democracy Volunteers. The force noted that the volunteers did not provide descriptions or timings of alleged incidents, leaving no reasonable line of inquiry.
Farage dismissed the findings as an 'establishment whitewash', calling for 'proper oversight, real accountability'. In response, a Green party source said Reform's attempt to 'undermine' the result had been shown to be 'baseless', adding that the Reform candidate's behaviour was 'positively Trumpian'. The newly elected Green MP, Hannah Spencer, described the election as fair and run within the law.
