Nigel Farage warned the Gorton and Denton by-election was a “victory for sectarian voting and cheating”. Labour was pushed into third place in the former stronghold behind Zack Polanski’s party and Reform UK.In a post on X, Reform leader Mr Farage sad: “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating. Matt Goodwin was a great candidate for us. Roll on the elections on May 7th. It will be goodbye Starmer and goodbye to the Tory party.”
Concerns have been raised about people forcing family members to vote in a certain way in the contest.
Election observer group Democracy Volunteers warned it had witnessed “concerningly high levels” of family voting – an illegal practice where two voters use one polling booth and potentially direct each other on voting.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Getty)
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Meanwhile, the Greens faced accusations of sectarian politics by sharing campaign material in Urdu calling on voters to “punish” Labour over Gaza and with an image of Sir Keir Starmer shaking hands with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
Reform candidate Matt Goodwin said: “We are losing our country. A dangerous Muslim sectarianism has emerged.
“We have only one general election left to save Britain. Vote Reform every chance you get.
“I will continue the fight. I will always fight for you. I will stand at the next general election. Matt.”
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New Green MP Hannah Spencer hit out at her election rivals in a speech following her win.
She said: “I won’t accept this victory tonight without calling out politicians and divisive figures who constantly scapegoat and blame our communities for all the problems in society.”
Asked in a BBC interview about accusations of sectarianism and why the image of Sir Keir with Mr Modi was used, she said: “I’ve just been out every day talking to people, listening to people and when people weren’t able to access information in a way that other people might, we tried to give literature and information in a language they speak and I’m really proud we did that.”
A Greens spokesperson said: “This is an attempt to undermine the democratic result and is straight out of the Trump playbook.
“We’ve just won a historic by-election by a comfortable margin.
“We’ve shown the country that Greens can beat Reform, despite their big business donations.”Nigel Farage Erupts at ‘Cheating’ Claims as Greens Win Gorton and Denton By-Election
The Green Party’s victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election produced one of the most closely watched results in British politics in 2026. Hannah Spencer won the seat for the Greens with 14,980 votes, defeating Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin, who finished second with 10,578. Labour was pushed into third place with 9,364 votes.
The result was significant not only because it removed a long-held Labour seat from the party’s control, but also because Reform UK had entered the contest hoping to make a strong breakthrough. Instead, the party finished behind the Greens, prompting Nigel Farage to raise allegations about the conduct of the election.
Farage described the result as involving “sectarian voting and cheating” and said Reform had reported allegations of so-called family voting to the police and Electoral Commission. The claims immediately generated a wider debate about electoral conduct, community voting and the interpretation of the result.
However, it is important to distinguish allegations from established findings. Subsequent police investigations found no evidence of criminality connected to the claims.
A Historic Green Victory
The official result showed a clear victory for Hannah Spencer. She received 40.7 per cent of the vote, giving the Green Party a majority of 4,402 over Reform UK.
Matt Goodwin received 28.7 per cent, while Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia secured 25.4 per cent. The Conservatives finished fourth with 706 votes, or 1.9 per cent. Turnout was 47.5 per cent among an electorate of 77,501.
The scale of the change was particularly notable when compared with the 2024 general election. Labour had previously won the constituency with 18,555 votes and a majority of 13,413. In the by-election, Labour’s vote fell substantially while both the Greens and Reform increased their shares.
For the Green Party, the result represented its first parliamentary by-election victory. Parliament confirmed Spencer as the new MP for Gorton and Denton following the contest held on February 26.
The result therefore carried significance beyond the individual constituency. It demonstrated how a previously established Labour seat could become a three-way contest involving Labour, Reform and the Greens.
Farage Raises Questions About Voting
Farage’s response focused heavily on allegations of family voting.
According to reports from election observers, Democracy Volunteers said it had witnessed what it described as unusually high levels of apparent family voting at polling stations. The organisation reported observing 32 cases among 545 people it watched casting their ballots, and said it had observed such behaviour at 15 of the 22 polling stations it visited.
Family voting can refer to situations in which more than one voter enters a polling booth or one person appears to influence another person’s vote. Electoral rules require voters to cast their ballots independently.
Farage subsequently said Reform had reported the allegations to both the police and Electoral Commission. He argued that the observations raised questions about electoral integrity.
The Green Party rejected the suggestion that its victory was the product of improper voting. A party spokesperson argued that the Greens had gained support across different parts of the constituency and that the result reflected the party’s campaign.
Manchester City Council also responded to the allegations, saying no issues had been reported to it during the election and questioning why the concerns had emerged after polling had closed.
The Electoral Commission clarified that allegations of electoral fraud are primarily a matter for the police rather than the Commission itself. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a report had been made and said it would review the information.
What the Investigation Found
The subsequent investigation is an important part of the story.
In March, Greater Manchester Police said its investigation had found no evidence of criminality in relation to the allegations surrounding the by-election. The police review followed Reform UK’s request for an investigation into claims of improper family voting.
That finding does not mean that observers had not seen people behaving in ways that raised concerns. Rather, it means that the available evidence did not establish criminal conduct.
This distinction is important in any discussion of election integrity. Observers can report behaviour that appears irregular, while investigators must determine whether the available evidence meets the threshold required to establish an offence.
The case therefore illustrates the difference between an observation, an allegation and a proven electoral offence.
A Difficult Night for Reform
Whatever the dispute surrounding the polling stations, the numerical result was clear.
Reform UK finished second with 10,578 votes. Its candidate increased the party’s vote share compared with the 2024 election, when Reform had received 14.1 per cent in the constituency. The 2026 result therefore demonstrated substantial support for the party, even though it was not enough to win the seat.
For Farage, the result presented a more complicated picture than either a simple success or failure.
Reform had moved ahead of Labour and established itself as the second-largest force in the by-election. At the same time, the Greens had attracted enough support to prevent Reform from taking the seat.
The contest therefore highlighted a central feature of Britain’s changing electoral landscape: votes that once concentrated heavily around Labour and the Conservatives can now be divided among several parties.
The Greens’ Campaign
Hannah Spencer’s campaign focused on issues including household finances, public services, the NHS, peace and human rights. The Green Party sought to present itself as an alternative not only to Labour but also to Reform.
The constituency’s demographic diversity was also important to the campaign. Both Labour and the Greens had sought support among communities with different political priorities, while Reform placed significant emphasis on immigration and national political change.
The final figures suggested that the Greens were able to build a coalition broad enough to win the seat. Their 14,980 votes represented more than two-fifths of all votes cast.
For Green Party leader Zack Polanski, the victory provided evidence that the party could compete successfully in a Westminster constituency rather than remaining primarily a protest or local-government force.
For Reform, meanwhile, the result showed both opportunity and limitation: the party had reached second place but faced competition from parties on both the left and centre-left.
What the Result Says About Labour
Labour’s third-place finish was another major element of the result.
The party had held the constituency for decades, but its 9,364 votes represented a substantial reduction from its 2024 total. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the outcome as “very disappointing” and said governing parties were often punished in by-elections.
The result therefore reflected a wider challenge for Labour: maintaining support among voters who may previously have regarded the party as their natural political choice.
At the same time, the by-election should not automatically be treated as a direct prediction of a future general election. By-elections involve distinctive local campaigns, candidates, turnout patterns and tactical voting considerations.
A Wider Debate About British Politics
Gorton and Denton ultimately became more than a contest between three parties. It became a case study in the fragmentation of British politics.
The Greens demonstrated that they could win a parliamentary seat in a constituency historically associated with Labour. Reform showed that it could finish ahead of Labour in an established Labour area. Labour, meanwhile, was forced to confront the possibility that its traditional support could be divided between several challengers.
Farage’s allegations added another dimension to the story, placing electoral integrity at the centre of the post-election debate. But the later police finding that there was no evidence of criminality provides an important qualification to the initial claims.
The result therefore needs to be understood through two separate questions: what happened at the ballot box, and whether any electoral rules were broken.
On the first question, the official record is straightforward. Hannah Spencer won with 14,980 votes, Reform came second with 10,578, and Labour finished third with 9,364.
On the second, allegations were investigated, but no criminality was established by police.
The Gorton and Denton by-election consequently remains an important snapshot of Britain’s increasingly competitive and fragmented political environment. It showed that established voting patterns can change rapidly, while also demonstrating why allegations concerning elections need to be separated carefully from verified evidence.
For Farage and Reform UK, the contest produced a strong second-place finish but also a public dispute over the circumstances surrounding the vote. For the Greens, it delivered their first parliamentary by-election victory. And for Labour, it demonstrated the scale of the challenge involved in holding support in constituencies where voters now have more political alternatives than they did in previous elections.
