The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 40.7% of the vote and a majority of 4,402, according to sources. Labour was pushed into third place in the by-election. However, the result has been contested by some who allege electoral irregularities. Election observers reported record levels of so-called 'family voting' – an illegal practice often involving a man entering the polling booth with his wife to tell her how to vote. Family voting – where two or more voters either confer or collude to direct each other on voting – was made a criminal offence by the 2023 Ballot Secrecy Act. Observers raised 'major concerns' about family voting in last week's Gorton and Denton by-election. Councils were asked about voting integrity after allegations of people conferring or colluding during the ballot were made after last week's Gorton & Denton by-election. Police have been urged to investigate 'clear evidence' of voter fraud in the Manchester by-election. The specific evidence Democracy Volunteers has to support their claim of family voting in 68% of polling stations has not been publicly detailed. The current status and findings of Greater Manchester Police's investigation into the allegations also remain unclear.
Greater Manchester Police are investigating after the election observer group Democracy Volunteers claimed to have witnessed the illegal practice in 68 per cent of 22 polling stations monitored during the poll on Thursday, February 26. Democracy Volunteers had four volunteers working at the by-election. It has been claimed that as many as one in eight votes cast in the by-election could be attributed to group voting. A leading academic claimed that the practice of cousin marriages was a key driver of illegal 'family voting' in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Dr Patrick Nash estimates that up to 50 per cent of the Muslim community in the constituency practise cousin marriage. How widespread the practice of cousin marriage is in the constituency, and what its verified correlation with family voting might be, is not definitively known.
In contrast, Manchester council, which oversaw the by-election, criticised the group for not raising concerns with them earlier, adding that no issues were reported from polling stations on the day. Green Party leader Zack Polanski denied fuelling sectarianism and strongly rebutted the allegations. 'Manchester City Council have been really clear that there has been no irregularity,' Polanski said. He added, 'Police officers were at every single polling station and there's no finding that anything untoward happened.' Polanski also questioned the observer group, stating, 'Who are Democracy Volunteers? I don't think anyone had heard about Democracy Volunteers until yesterday.' He accused critics of the election outcome of spreading falsehoods, saying, 'Nigel Farage is a sore loser and he just lost an election badly... once again Reform are spreading misinformation and smears.'
The allegations have triggered a political row. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage referred reports of so-called family voting to Greater Manchester Police. Nigel Farage called on the Electoral Commission to investigate. Farage said, 'This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.' Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch said Labour had 'created the monster of harvesting Muslim community bloc votes' at previous elections, adding, 'That monster came back to bite them.'
Officially, the Green Party supports any investigation into alleged breaches of electoral laws in the Gorton and Denton by-election. Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb said, 'In the Gorton and Denton by-election, if there were these alleged breaches of electoral laws, any investigation would be supported by the Green Party, obviously.' She added that she is assured by psephologists that family voting would not have changed the result of the by-election. Local government minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said breaches of electoral law are unacceptable regardless of the election outcome. She stated, 'We don't want to see breaches of electoral law at any time, whatever the outcome of the election is. And it's very important that voters going to cast their vote can have complete confidence in the system that's operating, whether it influences the outcome of the election or not. I think it's very important that we all want to see, both in practice and in the policy that sits behind it, that elections are safe and secure and that people can cast their vote knowing that elections are above board and legal.'
Attention now turns to upcoming local elections. On Thursday, May 7, voters will go to the polls in all ten Greater Manchester boroughs to elect councillors. Greater Manchester Police will not be changing the way they police the elections on May 7; it will be the same as at the by-election. A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said, 'We will not be changing the way we police the elections. It will be the same as we policed at the by election as it was effective and within electoral guidelines.' Bolton Council said all polling station staff are trained on regulations preventing influencing voters or joining another voter in the polling booth, and appropriate measures will be taken if breaches are witnessed. A Bolton Council spokesperson explained, 'All polling station staff are trained on the regulations preventing individuals influencing another voter in the polling station or joining another voter in the polling booth. Appropriate measures will be taken if staff witness any attempts to breach these regulations. Notices informing electors of the regulations are also posted within the polling station.' Similarly, Bury Council said all polling station staff are trained on regulations preventing influencing voters or joining another voter in the polling booth, and appropriate measures will be taken if breaches are witnessed. A Bury Council spokesperson said, 'All polling station staff are trained on the regulations preventing individuals influencing another voter in the polling station or joining another voter in the polling booth. Appropriate measures will be taken if staff witness any attempts to breach these regulations.' What measures, if any, other Greater Manchester boroughs are implementing to prevent family voting remains to be seen, and what actions the Electoral Commission has taken in response to calls for an investigation is not yet public. The by-election result stands, but the controversy over voting integrity continues to resonate as the region prepares for further electoral tests.