'Farage is a bad loser'
The police investigation into Reform UK’s allegations of ‘family voting’ or voter coercion in the Gorton and Denton by-election has found no evidence of the illegal practice.
Greater Manchester Police said on Friday that it had found “no evidence to suggest any intent to influence or refrain a person from voting as stated in the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023”.
Family voting is where two voters use one polling booth at the same time, and can involve husbands telling their wives how to vote.
In the aftermath of the Gorton and Denton by-election, the Reform candidate Matt Goodwin said he had lost the race due to “dangerous Muslim sectarianism”.
Reform then reported allegations of family voting to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the Electoral Commission.
After the polls closed, election observation group Democracy Volunteers said they had seen “concerningly high levels of family voting” in the by-election on 26 February.
Responding to the outcome of the police investigation, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: “Reform offered hate. We offered hope. Hope won.
“The police say his accusations of cheating are baseless. Farage is a bad loser.”
Nigel Farage is not happy with the result, calling the GMP’s investigation “another brushed-under-the-carpet report from the usual suspects”.
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spokesperson, wrote on X: “Farridge and Matt Badloss talked a lot of conspiracy theory Islamophobic nonsense when they just, er, lost? Wasting police time anyone?”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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