Farage claims ‘whitewash’ after police find no evidence of Gorton family voting

Nigel Farage has hit out at Greater Manchester Police’s decision to conclude a probe into so-called family voting in the Gorton and Denton by-election after finding no evidence of the illegal practice.

The Reform UK leader claimed there had been an “establishment whitewash” after the force said there was “no remaining reasonable line of inquiry” following an investigation.

Election observer group Democracy Volunteers said it had witnessed “concerningly high levels” of family voting, whereby a person enters a polling booth with someone else or otherwise directs their vote.

Reform UK, whose candidate Matt Goodwin came second with 28.7% of the vote to the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer, who won with 40.7%, reported this to GMP.

The force spoke with observers and obtained CCTV from three polling stations which they had visited, but said that no evidence had been found of direction or coercion.

Reform leader Mr Farage said: “Frankly, this is exactly the kind of establishment whitewash people are sick to death of.

“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.”

In a statement on Friday, GMP said eyewitness accounts from observers of the February by-election had suggested instances of more than one person going into a booth together, and of people looking over the shoulder of voters.

But the force said the observers 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,” it said.

Democracy Volunteers said observations had been made “in good faith” using a “robust methodology”, and that its report had been issued to support transparency.

Police said they had asked Democracy Volunteers for descriptions of those alleged to be involved, and timings for when incidents are believed to have taken place.

These details were not documented, and officers were not provided with any identities or descriptions to pursue, meaning there is “no remaining reasonable line of inquiry”, GMP said.

The force said it had obtained CCTV from three polling stations visited by Democracy Volunteers and spoken to the presiding officer from each one, but that no evidence was found of direction or coercion.

Some 45 stations were approached for footage, and 41 said they did not have CCTV activated in the building to avoid compromising the secrecy of the vote, in line with advice given, according to GMP.

“There is no evidence to suggest any intent to influence or refrain a person from voting as stated in the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023,” the force said.

Manchester City Council’s chief executive Tom Stannard, who was returning officer for the parliamentary contest, 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.”

The UK elections watchdog said it would speak with Democracy Volunteers about “the definitions they use and the training they give their observers”, warning that allegations about the integrity of votes should be “supported by evidence”.

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.”

The commission has recently updated its code of practice and guidance for electoral observers which he said “will help accredited observers understand the standards expected of them and how to raise concerns appropriately”.

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.”