“Sectarian Voting”: Reform Signals Police Complaint After Green Win
27th February 2026
Nigel Farage has branded the Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election an exercise in “sectarian voting and cheating.”
The Reform UK leader made the remarks after the far-left Green Party swept to victory in the seat, following a campaign that heavily courted Muslim voters. Labour, which had been defending the seat, slumped to third as its vote share collapsed, while Reform surged into second place. The main opposition Conservative Party won just 1.9% of the vote.
Independent observers had earlier reported “concerningly high levels” of so-called family voting—where two voters confer, or one directs the other inside the polling booth, breaching the secrecy of the ballot. The practice is illegal under British election rules.
Democracy Volunteers, a non-partisan watchdog, said it had witnessed the practice in 15 of the 22 polling stations visited. In total, it recorded 32 cases, including nine at a single polling station. Of 545 voters observed, the group estimated that 12% were either involved in or affected by the practice.
Farage said the claims raised “serious questions” about the integrity of the vote in “predominantly Muslim areas.”