What we know about ‘family voting’ in Gorton and Dentonpublished at 16:36 GMT

16:36 GMT

Lucy Gilder, BBC Verify

BBC Verify has been looking into a claim about the extent of so-called “family voting” in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

It comes from Democracy Volunteers, an organisation which has been monitoring voting standards in UK elections for about a decade. It describes family voting as “where two voters either confer, collude or direct each other on voting”.

Yesterday, the group posted an article on its website saying it “observed family voting in 68% of polling stations, affecting 12% of those voters observed” in the by-election. It claimed this was the highest in 10 years, external.

The article says it attended 22 of the 45 polling stations in the constituency, spending between 30 and 45 minutes in each. We contacted the group to ask for more detail about its methodology and findings, including details of the polling stations, but it said no one was available to speak to us.

We also asked about its report on elections in Tower Hamlets in 2018, which found a higher figure - it said 19% of observed voters, external “were either engaged in, or affected by, this practice [of family voting]”.

In a statement, Democracy Volunteers acknowledged this 2018 report “identified higher levels of family voting” but said that since then “family voting has been redefined to exclude conversations between two people in separate booths".

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, a politics professor at the University of Liverpool, tells BBC Verify he is “doubtful that cases of family voting that involve undue influence or coercion can be easily distinguished from cases where family members are just turning up to vote at the same time”.

“Anyone who did want to coerce a family member to vote in a particular way would be far more likely to attempt this via postal ballots than in a staffed polling station,” he adds.

Euan Doak and Phil McCann
BBC North West

The BBC has been speaking to voters throughout the day to see how they are reacting to the Green Party's historic by-election win.

Fiona Daniel says she is "beyond buzzing" after deciding to "vote from my heart" for the Green Party after previously supporting Labour.

The 42-year-old said she had concerns that voting Green would be a "wasted vote" but says "all of my friends and people I speak to on the street were saying they were voting Green so I thought they've got a chance here".

Joanna Howard, 50, says she had voted Labour previously but "I'm not very pleased with Labour's policies about immigration".

"I think that the fact that they're trying to bring in a 20-year wait to get indefinite leave to remain is really, really harsh."

Local butcher Waqas Khan, 40, says he wanted to "try out" the Green Party this time. "Maybe next time we're going to think about Reform," he adds.

• We have more reaction from residents in Gorton and Denton in our story

Earlier, Reform UK said it reported claims of "family voting" in the Gorton and Denton by-election to the Electoral Commission and Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Democracy Volunteers, a group of voluntary election observers who check voting processes, claimed its team had witnessed "concerningly high levels" of family voting at polling stations yesterday.

Manchester City Council said "no such issues" had been reported and that it was "extremely disappointing" the group had waited until after the close of polls to make the allegations.

• What is family voting? It is an offence that can be committed when a person casting a ballot in an election is joined in a polling booth by someone who intends to influence how they vote

John Ault, director of Democracy Volunteer, told the Press Association that it "is a normal international standard not to issue a comment until after voting has finished".

However, the Electoral Commission says observers are expected to raise potential fraud or irregularities at the polls "on the spot", and to the police.

A No 10 spokesperson earlier said "the law is the law", adding that "it's essential that electors can cast their votes in secret without any risk of coercion".

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "We can confirm a report has been made. We are in the process of reviewing this report and will provide a further update in due course."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has told Radio 4's World At One that "huge amount of disappointment" in the Labour government has contributed to the Greens' victory in Gorton and Denton.

Lucas says she doesn't think anyone who voted Labour in 2024 expected them to "push more disabled children into poverty" as well as refusing to lift the two-child benefit cap for so long and slashing the international aid budget.

She praises new Green MP Hannah Spencer and adds that the plumber turned parliamentarian will bring real world experience to Westminster.

Asked about the Greens appearing to shift their focus away from the environment, Lucas says the party stands for environmental justice but is also deeply concerned about social justice and sees how the two are linked.

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from Gorton and Denton

It was a huge success, a spectacular success for the Greens.

How did they do it? Crucially, they managed to convince enough people here that they were the most viable vehicle if you didn't want Reform UK to become the representatives for this part of Greater Manchester.

That was something of an achievement for the Greens because Labour were making the same case as well.

There was a danger for those who might describe themselves as progressives, broadly on the left of politics, that they would cannibalise each other's votes - and from their perspective, the danger would be that Reform could win as a result.

The Greens managed to convince enough people that they were that vehicle and actually, in the end, that they could not just win but win big.

They won comfortably. Plenty of people thought it would be a three horse race and quite close, but in the end, it wasn't. The Greens won by quite a margin.

Andrew Rogers
Reporting from Gorton and Denton

Rosie and Will both write for the Mancunion, the University of Manchester’s student newspaper, and covered the election count throughout the night.

The pair both say that local students have had strong feelings about the by-election.

“We know from the work that we've done that our student population care massively about things like the cost of living, about rent prices, about education policies and I think that's been very central to the debate,” Rosie tells BBC Newsbeat.

Both Rosie and Will say the Green Party win was not a huge surprise – and gives an insight into how students might vote in the local elections in May.

“We've seen from national polling that the Greens are particularly popular amongst young people,” adds Will.

“I think for students in particular this feeling that the Greens can win, that they're bringing an alternative to traditional politics, is going to be really impactful in the local elections.”

Gorton and Denton locals have been giving the BBC their reactions to the by-election results in their constituency.

Annie McAllister, 87, says she would have liked to see Reform UK win the seat.

"I would have never voted for them [The Green Party]," she says, adding that she voted for Reform because of their policies on illegal immigration.

Sharon Liddle says she does not like Green Party policies around drugs and open borders. Because she didn't know who to vote for, she says she "didn't bother" voting - but is "surprised" that the Greens won.

Others, such as local businessman Richard McCalmot, say having "someone different" is "good" for the constituency.

Lola Kenku, another local, agrees. She says she voted for the Greens to "make everything better" on issues key to her: money, bills and housing.

Romney Hadfield says he is "disappointed" that Labour have lost their stronghold in the area, and says he blames Keir Starmer.

"If he put Andy Burnham in, he'd have won that easy," Romney says.

Reflecting on his party's performance in Gorton and Denton, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden says it was a "very disappointing night".

He tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that "when it happens you have to take it on the chin" and respect the result.

He says voters are not feeling the changes Labour has brought in enough yet, and that the government needs to continue delivering for the public and keeping in mind the lessons from winning the general election.

He adds that it will be impossible for the Green Party to "escape scrutiny about breaking up the country and weakening it" when the next general election comes round.

Reform UK says it has reported claims of "family voting" to the Electoral Commission and Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Party leader Nigel Farage is urging an investigation into the reports, calling them "deeply concerning".

The BBC has contacted GMP for comment. The Electoral Commission earlier said it was aware of the allegations but that "electoral offences are a matter for the police".

The allegation originates from a group called Democracy Volunteers, a group of voluntary election observers who say they check voting processes. The BBC has approached the group for comment.

Earlier, Manchester City Council said polling station staff were trained to look for undue influence on voters, and "no such issues" had been reported.

Family voting is where a family member is seen to be influencing somebody else's vote, for example by entering the polling booth with them.

Chris Mason
Political editor

A Green Party spokesman says: "Starmer is clearly coming to the end of his premiership, one that he has barely been clinging to.

"He has learnt nothing from the Greens’ stunning victory and once again he is tone deaf. His only answer now is to smear voters as extremists – those who wanted the hope and change that he is failing to offer.

"It is not the election result or voters who are disappointing, it is his Labour government that is beyond disappointing."

Becky Morton
Political reporter

Image source, PA Media

In a letter to Labour MPs, Prime Minister Keir Starmer accuses new Green Party MP Hannah Spencer of being "more interested in dividing people than uniting them".

He says the Greens have capitalised on an endorsement from George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain – which won 10% of the vote in the constituency in 2024 but did not stand in the by-election - and his "divisive, sectarian politics".

The PM also attacks the Green Party policy of legalising all drugs and says they "simply do not have the resources, the activist base or the local knowledge to replicate this victory across the country".

Spencer has dismissed accusations of sectarian politics, insisting her party had united voters with commons concerns about the cost of living, public services and the war in Gaza.

With Labour struggling, Scottish Greens will hope to benefit from a Polanski bouncepublished at 12:52 GMT

12:52 GMT

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

It may be a local by-election in Manchester, but there has been keen interest in the by-election result in Scotland given the looming polls here.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had already sought to distance himself from the UK leadership of Keir Starmer.

But this is still undoubtedly a blow for the Scottish outfit as they gather for their pre-election conference in Paisley.

They need a big swing from the Scottish National Party (SNP) if they are to win seats at Holyrood - and this by-election is another data point which shows them heading in the wrong direction.

If Labour is suffering from a Starmer slump, then the Scottish Greens are hoping they can benefit from a Zack Polanski bounce.

But the Scottish Greens will only be standing in a dozen or so constituencies in the May local elections, preferring instead to focus their efforts on the regional list element of Holyrood's proportional representation electoral system.

That means the kind of targeted, issue-driven campaigning which succeeded in Gorton and Denton may not translate in the same way to a broader-based nationwide campaign in Scotland.

The presence of Reform UK is an interesting one too, with multiple parties now trying to set themselves up as the "anti-Reform" vote.

That complicates the already tangled picture of tactical voting across Scotland, where every constituency tends to be a race between the SNP and the party most likely to challenge them locally - either Labour, the Conservatives or Lib Dems.

It adds yet another layer of intrigue to what is already shaping up as a fiercely-fought contest.

Image source, Getty Images

In Scotland, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says the outcome of the Gorton and Denton by-election is "clearly a disappointing result".

"I think it demonstrates that people everywhere feel angry, feel frustrated. And the electorate is volatile."

But, he says, "we do need to be careful not to have an automatic read across to what's happening in Scotland, because of course in Scotland, the establishment for the last 20 years has been the SNP, and I think that'll be a very different framing for an election in 10 weeks time here".

Asked about his call, earlier this month, for Keir Starmer to stand down, Sarwar adds: "I said what I said in the context of what I believed were standards that I can accept, or things that I was not willing to tolerate."

Harvey Stevens
Radio 4's The World at One

I've been calling around to some Labour MPs to get their reactions to the party's loss in Gorton and Denton.

One says there will be a "crisis for Starmer after the May elections".

Another tells me they're unsure whether they still backed the prime minister, saying they will "wait and see what he does this weekend". They also said a reshuffle "needs to happen", presumably referring to Starmer's cabinet.

One said that they were backing the prime minister - but they're "not sure for how much longer".

And from another: "There's no doubt this will put Keir under pressure. But I would caution colleagues to put the country and stability first."

Andrew Rogers
Reporting from Gorton and Denton

I've been speaking to young people in the Gorton and Denton constituency as they react to the Green Party’s historic victory here.

For teenager Oscar, who has grown up in the area, the win is an “optimistic thing”.

“I'm happy about it personally, I'm 17 so I couldn't vote in the by-election but I was hoping for the Greens to win,” he tells me .

“I was a bit worried actually that Reform would win. The fact that the Green Party has won, I think it's quite an optimistic thing for British politics at the moment.”

Oscar tells BBC Newsbeat that his friends who are migrants were “scared” of Reform getting in.

“I think you can tell that people are sort of at breaking point. It's got to the point where they're voting more to extremes and I guess that's just a sign of people being fed up.”

Image source, EPA

The result: At about 04:30 GMT, it was announced that the Greens had won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 14,980 votes, beating Reform UK who came second with 10,578, and Labour who finished third on 9,364.

What the Greens said: Spencer, a plumber-turned-politician, told a victory rally she was voted in because constituents are "sick of being told there's no alternative". Meanwhile, the party's leader Zack Polanski said their "seismic" victory had "torn the roof off" British politics. Here's a closer look at how all the parties performed.

How the PM responded: Keir Starmer called the result "disappointing", but said governments "quite often" get results like this mid-term. Asked if he should've let Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham stand - the view of some Labour MPs - Starmer instead commended the party's candidate Angeliki Stogia.

Other politicians also had their say: Reform UK has been celebrating its success, with chair David Bull saying he is "absolutely thrilled" and that Starmer "is in big trouble". Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Labour, Reform, and the Greens of trying to "break" the country.

An update on so-called family voting: Greater Manchester Police told the BBC it's received "no reports" of electoral offences at the by-election. It comes after Democracy Volunteers, an election observer organisation, said members had seen so-called family voting at polling stations - a claim Manchester City Council has disputed.

What does all this mean? Ourcorrespondents share their thoughts: The result shows just how fragmented British politics has become, our chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman wrote earlier. Meanwhile, the BBC's political editor Chris Mason added: The Greens are remoulded and re-energised under Polanski.

Image source, PA Media

We're now hearing from Kemi Badenoch for the first time since the by-election result.

The Tory leader says Labour's loss to the Greens "shows Keir Starmer’s premiership is finished".

"He lost authority a long time ago, a mere hostage at the mercy of a divided Labour Party that cannot decide who to replace him with," a statement says. "He has lost the support of his voters, his MPs and the country. He is in office but not in power. If he had any integrity he would go."

"Our country is not broken," Badenoch says in a post on X, external, "but this by-election showed that Labour, Reform and the Greens are trying very hard to break it."

She adds that the only "sensible candidate" standing in Gorton and Denton was Charlotte Cadden - the Conservative Party candidate.

• A reminder of the final vote count: The Greens won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 14,980 votes; Reform UK came second with 10,578; Labour came third with 9,364 and the Tories finished fourth with 706.

Until today, Labour had not lost an election in the Gorton and Denton area since 1931.

A historic win for the Green Party ended that winning streak, and Labour's fall in the vote share was significant.

At the 2024 general election, Labour received a 50.8% share of the vote, with 18,555 votes for candidate and former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne. The Green Party came in third, behind Reform, with 10.6% of the vote share.

This time around, things have changed.

The Greens won the seat with 14,980 votes and saw a 28% jump in the vote share, while Labour came third behind Reform and experienced a dip of 25%.

Joshua Tindall
Political reporter

Greater Manchester Police has told the BBC that they have received "no reports" of electoral offences at the Gorton and Denton by-election.

That statement comes after Democracy Volunteers, an election observer organisation, said their observers saw "concerningly high" levels of so-called family voting at polling stations in the constituency.

It's a claim Manchester City Council has disputed.

• Get up to speed with what family voting is