Gorton and Denton by-election results: 'Concerning levels' of illegal family voting in nail-biting vote

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Feb 26, 2026 - 22:53

Gorton and Denton by-election results: 'Concerning levels' of illegal family voting in nail-biting vote

An election monitoring group has raised alarm over what it called “unprecedented” levels of family voting during the Gorton and Denton by-election today.

Democracy Volunteers said its observers attended 22 of the constituency’s 45 polling stations and witnessed family voting in 15 of them.

Across a sample of 545 voters, the group recorded 32 incidents in total, including nine cases at a single polling station.

John Ault, the watchdog’s director, said: “Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton.”

He continued by saying the scale of the problem was the highest recorded in its 10-year history of monitoring UK elections and had prompted the rare decision to publish findings on polling day.

He contrasted the figures with the recent Runcorn and Helsby by-election, where family voting was seen in 12 per cent of polling stations and affected around 1 per cent of voters, compared with 68 per cent of stations and 12 per cent of voters in Gorton and Denton.

The findings came as voting closed in a fiercely contested by-election that could carry wider implications for Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.

The south-east Manchester seat has been described as one of the most unpredictable contests in recent years, following the resignation of Andrew Gwynne after his suspension from Labour over offensive WhatsApp messages.

Polling opened at 7am and closed at 10pm in what is only the second parliamentary by-election held under Sir Keir’s government.

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Election watchdog flags 'unprecedented' family voting levels in Gorton and Denton by-election

An election monitoring group has voiced alarm over what it described as unusually high levels of “family voting” during the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Democracy Volunteers said its observers visited 22 of the constituency’s 45 polling stations, spending up to 45 minutes at each, and witnessed family voting at 15 of those locations.

Across a sample of 545 voters, the group recorded 32 instances of family voting, including nine cases at a single polling station.

John Ault, the organisation’s director, said: “Today we have seen concerningly high levels of family voting in Gorton and Denton.”

He added that it was the highest level the group had recorded in its 10 years of monitoring UK elections and had prompted the rare decision to publish findings on polling day.

By comparison, he said a recent by-election in Runcorn and Helsby saw family voting in 12 per cent of polling stations, affecting around 1 per cent of voters, whereas in Gorton and Denton it was observed in 68 per cent of stations and affected 12 per cent of those monitored.

'I salute you' - Reform UK's candidate Matt Goodwin thanks his supporters during the campaign

Matt Goodwin, Reform UK's candidate for Gorton & Denton wrote on X: "Polls have closed. I would like to take this moment to thank all Reform members who have supported our campaign.

"As I said, we are not a political party. We are a movement and a family.

"I salute you."