Five individuals have been taken into custody as part of a police inquiry into accusations that fictitious independent candidates were employed to sway the outcome of a local election in Tameside. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that four men and one woman, ranging in age from 23 to 47, were detained on suspicion of fraud offences on Thursday morning in the Ashton-under-Lyne area.
Investigation details
The arrests are linked to concerns regarding the manner in which candidates were nominated and depicted in the St Peter's ward, and whether this complied with pertinent legislation and electoral protocols. The force emphasised that the probe focuses on the integrity of the candidate selection process.
Local publication The Mill had previously investigated claims that individuals were persuaded to run as independents in the St Peter's ward election in May to fragment the opposition vote and advantage the Labour Party. In that election, Labour candidate Atta Ul-Rasool secured the St Peter's ward seat with a margin of 177 votes over independent contender Ahmed Mehmood. Ul-Rasool was the sole Labour candidate to win a seat in Tameside.
Independent candidates under scrutiny
Two other independent candidates, Marie Fairhurst and Muhammad Ali, collectively garnered 291 votes. The Mill reported that both candidates had minimal visible campaign activity and did not respond to attempts to contact them during the election period. Following the result, the Tameside Correspondent disclosed that Fairhurst claimed she was unaware she was standing as a candidate.
Kaleel Khan, a councillor who managed Mehmood's campaign, informed The Mill that he intends to contest the election outcome at Tameside Council. No charges have been filed to date, and the police investigation remains ongoing.
