Greens Hit Back At Farage's Claim They Won By-Election By 'Cheating'

The Green Party has hit back at Nigel Farage’s claim the party won the Gorton and Denton by-election thanks to “sectarian voting and cheating”.

The Reform UK leader hit out after his party’s candidate, Matt Goodwin, was comfortably beaten into second place by the Greens’ Hannah Spencer.

She won with a majority of nearly 4,500 after a bitterly-fought contest which saw Labour beaten into third place.

After the polls closed on Thursday night, independent election observers Democracy Volunteers revealed they had witnessed “concerningly high levels of family voting” throughout the day.

That is where where two people use one polling booth and potentially direct each other on voting.

Democracy Volunteers director John Ault said: “Based on our assessment of today’s observations, we have seen the highest levels of family voting at any election in our 10 year history of observing elections in the UK.

“We rarely issue a report on the night of an election, but the data we have collected today on family voting, when compared to other recent by-elections, is extremely high.

“In the other recent Westminster parliamentary by-election in Runcorn and Helsby we saw family voting in 12% of polling stations, affecting 1% of voters. In Gorton and Denton, we observed family voting in 68% of polling stations, affecting 12% of those voters observed.”

In a post on X shortly after the by-election result was announced, Farage said that was why the Greens had won.

He said: “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.”

In a separate post, Farage said the high amount of family voting “raises serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas”.

In a statement, Matt Goodwin said: “We are losing our country. A dangerous Muslim sectarianism has emerged.”

But a Green Party spokesman said: “The scale of our victory shows that the Green Party has picked up substantial support in all parts of the constituency, in all areas, among all people.

“It was a victory for unity over division, for hope over hate. Our message to lower bills, protect the NHS and public services and for peace and human rights was a message which resonated here, to all voters in this by-election.”

Greens’ leader Zack Polanski, meanwhile, suggested he would back a probe into family voting.

He told BBC Newsnight: “I think it’s important that there’s full transparency about the democratic process, and if the recommendation is that there should be an inquiry or further steps then yes I’d support that.”