A police probe into allegations of ‘family voting’ in last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election found no evidence of breaches of electoral law, it was announced today.
The parliamentary contest on 26 February, which was won by the Green Party, was hit by claims of illegal practices at polling stations across the constituency.
So-called ‘family voting’ is where two people use one polling booth and potentially direct each other on voting.
Tougher legislation, known as the Ballot Secrecy Act, was introduced in 2023 to make clear it is an offence in a bid to clamp down on the practice.
Election observer group Democracy Volunteers said it had witnessed ‘concerningly high levels’ of family voting in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Reform UK, who came second in the parliamentary contest, later reported this to Greater Manchester Police as party leader Nigel Farage lashed out at ‘cheating’.
But the force on Friday said it had found no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from casting a ballot, adding there was ‘no remaining reasonable line of enquiry’.
Mr Farage hit out at an ‘establishment whitewash’, saying: ‘This isn’t good enough.
‘We need proper oversight, real accountability and the courage to admit when something isn’t right, not another brushed-under-the-carpet report from the usual suspects.
He added: ‘Frankly, this is exactly the kind of establishment whitewash people are sick to death of.’
The Green Party’s Hannah Spencer won the by-election with 40.7 per cent of the vote and a majority of 4,402, with Reform’s Matt Goodwin second with 28.7 per cent.
The four accredited election observers from Democracy Volunteers saw family voting in 15 of the 22 polling stations they attended across Gorton and Denton, the organisation said.
This was 32 cases in total, with nine cases observed in one polling station alone. It meant that 12 per cent of the voters observed either caused or were affected by family voting.
But, in a statement, Greater Manchester Police said Democracy Volunteers did not allege ‘any verbal instruction or physical conduct that indicated one person was directing or coercing another regarding how to vote’.
‘This is a crucial part of the legislation to prove such an offence was committed,’ the force added.
Greater Manchester Police said they had asked Democracy Volunteers for descriptions of those alleged to be involved, and timings on when incidents are believed to have occurred.
These details ‘were not documented by observers or the complainant, and we have not been provided with any identities or descriptions to pursue,’ the force said.
It added it had obtained some CCTV footage from three polling stations visited by Democracy Volunteers and spoken to the presiding officer from each one, but that these stations did not show any evidence of people directing or coercing others on how to vote.
‘There is no evidence to suggest any intent to influence or refrain a person from voting as stated in the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023,’ it said.
The Gorton and Denton by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne from the House of Commons.
Labour finished a dismal third in the contest despite flooding the Greater Manchester seat with ministers and 1,000 activists in the run-up to polling day.
Senior Tory MP Sir James Cleverly, the shadow communities secretary, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable for anyone’s vote to be watched or pressured inside a polling station.
‘The secrecy of the ballot is as important in the 21st century as it was in the 19th.
‘There were widespread claims from Democracy Volunteers of family voting in Gorton and Denton, and it is not the only place where it has been reported.
‘The rights of all British voters – across class, colour and creed – must be defended and the law must be applied equally and fairly to everyone.
‘The Government must confirm how they will ensure that happens across the board.’
Manchester City Council’s chief executive Tom Stannard, who was returning officer for the by-election, criticised the way complaints were made about the handling of the vote.
‘The headline claims were made public just minutes after the polls had closed. By contrast, it was 11 days before the observers’ specific claims were shared with us,’ he said.
‘If observers had concerns, they should have raised them with polling station staff immediately. It is unfortunate that did not happen in this case.’
Vijay Rangarajan, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said: ‘Public trust in elections is essential.
‘We take allegations of fraud or about how polls are conducted very seriously, and we are grateful that Greater Manchester Police have properly investigated to establish the facts.
‘Voters must be able to trust that our elections are secure and conducted with integrity.
‘It is equally important that any allegations about the security and integrity of elections are supported by evidence, so voters have accurate information about how polls are conducted.’
A spokesperson for Democracy Volunteers said: ‘Our report reflects observations made in good faith by experienced and trained, independent and non-partisan observers on polling day.
‘We used a robust methodology aligned with international observation standards and drew on extensive UK and international experience.
‘The report was issued to support transparency in the electoral process. As a courtesy, we spoke to the returning officer before publication without sharing the report’s contents and we issued the report independently in line with our role as observers.
‘Any decisions taken by the relevant authorities involve a different evidential threshold; we stand by our methodology and have offered to work constructively with Manchester City Council and others to support improvements going forward.’
