Police are investigating reports of illegal 'family voting' in recent elections, after a whistleblower claimed the practice was widespread. The criminal offence typically involves a man accompanying a wife or relative into a polling booth and instructing them how to vote.
Manchester Reports
A local government source revealed that Manchester City Council had received 50 reports of family voting. 'These were the ones that polling staff could clearly see,' they added. However, the council disputed the 50 figure. A spokesman for its returning officer stated that 'preventative and corrective action was taken in a number of cases.' He added: 'Details of a very small number of incidents, in which potential offences may have been committed, are being shared with Greater Manchester Police to determine whether any follow-up action is required.'
Police are also examining a report of family voting in neighbouring Tameside. In February, Democracy Volunteers, an independent organisation, reported witnessing 'concerningly high levels' of family voting during the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, estimating that up to one in eight votes were affected. Greater Manchester Police launched an investigation but later closed it, prompting accusations of a 'whitewash' from Nigel Farage.
Tower Hamlets Allegations
In London's Tower Hamlets, often described as a 'rotten borough,' the Metropolitan Police are investigating claims that a candidate deceived an elderly couple into handing over their votes to an unknown proxy. A video released online two days before the elections showed the couple's son alleging that the candidate, whom The Mail on Sunday is not naming, persuaded his parents to appoint a proxy voter three weeks earlier. 'He somehow managed to manipulate my parents into signing over some details of theirs and now he's assigned them a proxy,' the son said. 'We have no idea who this person is.'
Another video, posted on March 25, showed an elderly man claiming the same candidate 'cheated' him and his wife by persuading them to register for proxy votes. 'He proceeded to complete proxy vote applications on our behalf appointing an individual unknown to us,' the man said in a complaint to the council's chief executive. The Met stated that officers are assessing the recent video and attempting to contact the complainant. 'If an offence is identified, the Met will launch an investigation,' a spokesman said.
The candidate, who was unsuccessful, strongly rejected the allegations: 'I did not manipulate or deceive anyone into assigning a proxy vote.' Tower Hamlets Council confirmed that 'all allegations of electoral malpractice' had been passed to the Met but declined to disclose the number of allegations received.
Intimidation and Harassment
The elections were also marred by claims of intimidation and harassment. In Oldham, a Ferrari owned by councillor Kamran Ghafoor, leader of the Oldham Group of independent councillors, was vandalised in the early hours of Friday while votes were being counted. Ghafoor criticised the 'toxicity' of local politics after what his group described as a 'targeted' attack.
Disorder was reported at several polling stations across the borough, including attempts to intimidate voters and 'shouting matches' between candidates in the street. Two opposing groups of party activists, totalling 16 people, clashed outside a polling station in Werneth, shouting at each other and at voters. One female voter said: 'I found it quite intimidating. There were several people around the front door. It's not what you expect when you go to vote.'
Lewis Quigg, leader of the Reform group, commented: 'It's getting worse because essentially you have got this split between the pro-Gaza independents and Labour and they are constantly at each other.'
In Harrow, north-west London, Labour councillor Peymana Assad reported receiving death threats during the campaign 'to silence me for speaking on foreign policy.' She added: '[My election] is for the haters, the ones who told people I wasn't a real Muslim, called me a Zionist for believing in the two-state solution, called me Taliban because my father is a Southern Pashto speaking Afghan.'
