Greens Win Gorton and Denton Amid 'Family Voting' Row
The Green party has secured a dramatic victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, dealing a significant blow to Labour in a constituency it previously held with a large majority. The election was marked by a tight three-way contest between the Greens, Labour, and Reform UK, with the final result pushing the incumbent Labour party into a surprising third place. Labour had been defending the seat following the departure of its previous MP, with councillor Angeliki Stogia standing as the candidate. Prior to the result, the campaign was clouded by allegations from the election observer group Democracy Volunteers, which reported 'extremely high' levels of 'family voting'—a practice where one person influences another's vote inside the polling booth, potentially breaching the secret ballot. Labour party chair Anna Turley described the reports as 'extremely worrying and concerning' and called for the Electoral Commission to investigate. Green party leader Zack Polanski also expressed support for an inquiry into the allegations. However, Manchester City Council, the authority responsible for running the election, criticized the observer group's claims, stating that no such concerns were reported by its own polling station staff on the day. Similarly, police confirmed they had received no formal reports of electoral offences. Despite the political concern, the official authorities maintained that the election was conducted without major incident, allowing the Green party's victory to stand.
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Sources
Observers raise concerns over secret ballot breaches at Gorton and Denton byelection | Byelections | The Guardian
In Gorton and Denton, we observed ... of those voters observed.” · Labour said the reports were “extremely worrying and concerning”. Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, told BBC Newsnight: “That’s not what we want to see in our democracy. So obviously we need to see the evidence and the report, and then make due decision about what authorities should look into this.” · The Green party leader, Zack Polanski, told the same programme he would back an investigation...
Polls close in Gorton and Denton byelection after three-way battle between Greens, Labour and Reform | Byelections | The Guardian
Labour is defending a 13,413-vote ... 80% of voters backed a party on the left at the 2024 election. The result will be declared at about 4am on Friday. Angeliki Stogia, a councillor, was selected as the Labour candidate after Andy Burnham was prevented from standing. The academic turned GB News presenter ...
Green party wins Gorton and Denton byelection, pushing Labour to third place in blow to Keir Starmer | Byelections | The Guardian
The former MP was under investigation by parliament for offensive messages he sent in a WhatsApp group of local Labour figures. On polling day Labour insiders had seemed more confident as polling showed they were virtually neck-and-neck with the Greens. They hoped voters might stick with Labour, ...
Starmer sweats on Gorton & Denton by-election TODAY: Polling stations open as Greens hammer PM over Gaza and Reform raise immigration - with Labour accused of 'dirty tricks' as MPs flood the seat | Daily Mail Online
Labour is launching a last-ditch effort to cling on in the traditional stronghold, with the result looking too close to call.
Labour want officials to examine reports over voting in Gorton and Denton by-election
Anna Turley was among the political leaders to react to a report by election observer group, Democracy Volunteers, which claimed to have witnessed the illegal practice in 68 per cent of 22 polling stations monitored. “Family voting” – where two voters either confer, collude or direct each other on voting – was made illegal by the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023. Speaking to Sky News...
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