An investigation into alleged voter coercion at the recent Gorton and Denton by-election has been closed after police found absolutely no evidence of misconduct, despite fierce accusations from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that their probe into "family voting"—a practice where an individual attempts to unlawfully influence a relative's ballot, often by accompanying them into a polling booth—yielded zero proof of any foul play during the February 26th vote.
Farage had escalated the issue to both GMP and the Electoral Commission following the election, which saw Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer secure a historic victory in the former Labour stronghold.
Reacting to the police's decision to drop the investigation, Farage dismissed the outcome as an "establishment whitewash."
"This isn't good enough," the Reform UK leader stated. "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."
The allegations primarily stemmed from Democracy Volunteers, an independent election observation group. The organization claimed their observers witnessed "extremely high" levels of family voting.
However, GMP dismantled these claims after consulting officers stationed at all 45 polling locations. Authorities confirmed that no one aside from Democracy Volunteers had reported any suspicious activity. While the observers cited approximately 32 incidents across 15 stations where people allegedly shared booths or looked over voters' shoulders, police noted a glaring lack of actionable evidence.
"The observers do not allege any verbal instruction or physical conduct that indicated one person was directing or coercing another regarding how to vote," GMP explained. Furthermore, the volunteers failed to provide specific timings or physical descriptions of the individuals involved. Due to this "absence of information," police concluded there were no viable lines of enquiry left to pursue.
Footage could not corroborate the claims either; to comply with official ballot secrecy guidelines, 41 of the 45 polling stations did not have active CCTV inside the voting areas. The footage that was reviewed showed no signs of voter intimidation.
Tom Stannard, the local Returning Officer, welcomed the police's findings, assuring the public that the by-election's integrity remained uncompromised. Stannard criticized the timeline of the accusations, pointing out that while the claims were broadcast publicly within minutes of the polls closing, it took 11 days for specific details to be formally submitted to his office.
"If observers had concerns they should have raised them with polling station staff immediately. It is unfortunate that did not happen in this case," Stannard remarked.
The Green Party also hit back at the controversy. Party leader Zack Polanski took to social media to condemn the allegations, describing the subsequent media frenzy as unfounded and "Islamophobic." He argued the narrative was fueled by the political establishment's fear of the Green Party's rising influence.
Despite the police findings, Democracy Volunteers stood by their initial report. A spokesperson maintained that their team utilized a "robust methodology aligned with international observation standards," insisting the report was published purely to promote electoral transparency.
In the wake of the dispute, the Electoral Commission announced an update to its official code of practice for election observers. Chief Executive Vijay Rangarajan stressed that while fraud allegations are treated with the utmost seriousness, they must be substantiated with hard evidence to maintain public trust. The new guidelines aim to clarify the standards expected of accredited observers and dictate proper protocols for raising on-site concerns.