Jon

Greater Manchester Police say they have no evidence of family voting after an extensive investigation, including speaking to Democracy Volunteers and seizing CCTV: We’ve concluded our investigation into alleged ‘family voting’ at last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election, finding no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from voting. Our investigation into alleged influencing of voters at a polling booth (under Section 62C Representation of the People Act 1983 (Ballot Secrecy Act 2023)) began after a criminal report from the Reform UK party following a public statement made by independent electoral observers at Democracy Volunteers. We have spoken to the four Democracy Volunteers observers present at polling stations on the day of the by-election (26 February) who have shared with us their eyewitness account. This includes some instances of more than one voter going into a booth at the same time, and instances of people looking over the shoulder of voters. The information they have provided to us estimates this may have happened on 32 occasions across 15 polling stations. The observers do not allege any verbal instruction or physical conduct that indicated one person was directing or coercing another regarding how to vote. This is a crucial part of the legislation to prove such an offence was committed. Our investigation team, led by an experienced senior investigating officer, spoke to all four volunteers from Democracy Volunteers as part of our enquiries – obtaining a copy of their observations. We also spoke to the Presiding Officers at 15 stations as well as the Acting Returning Officer, none of whom received any reports other than from Democracy Volunteers. We have received no further criminal reports. For us to investigate allegations, we require an understanding of who the potential suspects may be, and evidence that may corroborate eyewitness accounts. For an investigation to meet the criminal threshold for prosecution, we require admissible evidence of intent or action aimed at influencing the vote. We have asked Democracy Volunteers for descriptions of those alleged to be involved, and timings on when these are believed to have occurred. These details were not documented by observers or the complainant, and we have not been provided with any identities or descriptions to pursue. The absence of this information means there is no remaining reasonable line of enquiry. This also includes limitations with CCTV as an absence of descriptions, and votes not being time-stamped, meaning we are not able to identify individuals from footage. We have approached all 45 polling stations in the Gorton and Denton constituency to ask for CCTV from the day. Forty-one of those polling stations told us they did not have CCTV activated in the building as it would have compromised the secrecy of the vote during polling day, in line with advice given. We have seized and viewed CCTV from three of the remaining four polling stations. These are three polling station that Democracy Volunteers visited. We have spoken to the Presiding Officer from each one. However, these stations do not show any evidence of anyone directing or coercing another regarding how to vote – the crucial part of the legislation to prove such an offence was committed. There is no evidence to suggest any intent to influence or refrain a person from voting as stated in the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023. We have been liaising with the Electoral Commission, who we have shared our findings with. We have also shared our findings with the Returning Officer. We have updated the complainant about the work of our investigation and the conclusion we have reached.

Two years ago, we exposed how one quarter of UK MPs had accepted funding from the pro-Israel lobby. Today, the government publishes an independent review into "foreign financial influence" in UK politics. It does not mention Israel once.

He's cancelling Christmas. For the first time, a politician is *actually* trying to cancel Christmas. #womp #womp

So all the performance art and fantasy of the petrol station last week Not one Reform MP was in Parliament to vote on the fuel duty issue this afternoon

Last year, the Telegraph published a long, detailed piece by Georgina Fuller, entitled: 'We earn £345k, but soaring private school fees mean we can’t go on five holidays — Labour’s VAT raid forces six-figure families to make lifestyle sacrifices' It was all FAKE! Made up, every single last word of it, including the stock photos of a happy smiley family. The author had concocted a family from thin air to take a swipe at the Labour government's VAT addition to private schooling. In hindsight, when we look at the names she came up with, perhaps alarm bells should have rung — Al, Alexander and Ali Moy. That's the names of the family. Oh, and Harry! It was removed fairly swiftly after some complaints but, the article was incredibly detailed about the fake family: “The Moys, who are originally from Singapore but also lived in New York for 20 years, have decided that rather than disrupt their children’s education, they will make sacrifices in other areas of their lives.” The bit that riles me in particular is that IPSO have today ruled that the Telegraph must publish an apology and display the ruling on their homepage for all to see, and they have ... way, way down the page, under an article entitled “The best and worst supermarket barn flakes”. This is such a monumental breach of the rules, but they can file it so far away so that no one even sees it. I write so often about the failings of our journalistic standards, but this work of fiction is a disgrace. To make up such a ludicrous article with that level of detail. If you want to read the IPSO ruling, it's here: ipso.co.uk/rulings/02104-… And if you want to read the original article, it's here: archive.ph/RqFix

Reform UK have manufactured an argument with a Welsh university. They contacted a student group at Bangor University (who are separate to the Uni) asking them to hold an event for them. When the group said "no" Reform threatened to cut their funding. This is totally manufactured faux outrage. It is the equivalent of me going up to someone and saying: “please can you host a party and can I come?” Them saying “no I don’t like you” and me saying that I am going to take their money away. Reform have repeatedly dodged interviews with journalists in Wales. They banned certain journalists from councils they run in England. I would suggest this makes this sudden desire to protect free speech nothing more than hypocritical opportunism.

In 1 week, ONE UK political party: broke electoral law; had a number of individuals mentioned in the Epstein files many times; had people exposed as possible fronts for foreign donors; & misled about £40m council savings they didn’t make. Good luck seeing any of it on the news…

@nw_nicholas @BBCNews Ex GB News editorial director John McAndrew now the BBC Director of News Programmes Robbie Gibb was an editorial advisor for GB News prior to its launch in 2021 & is now on the BBC board & a member of the BBC's editorial guidelines and standard committee So Farage is their guy

Ladies and gentlemen, Nigel Farage's donor, Iranian-Kazakh Hossein Ghandehari: "A businessman (Hossein) whose family owns more than half a dozen houses, including a £50m mansion on "Billionaires' Row", has disclosed how to avoid paying tax on multi-million-pound property deals"

@GoodwinMJ, as a G&D resident I have received illegal correspondence on behalf of your campaign bearing no imprint & impersonating a non-affiliated resident. The printer from the envelope, 'Hardings', is RefUK's reg printer on an electoral commission search.

💣🔥 Let’s call this what it is: US State Department money being used to support Nigel Farage’s political ecosystem via Reform UK–aligned groups. 👉 That is foreign interference in a British democracy. The Financial Times reports a US “slush fund” targeting Maga-aligned organisations and speaking directly to Reform figures. This is about boosting Farage and Trumpism in the UK to turn off free speech and freedom.

NEW from the ONS The UK’s homicide rate is at the lowest for half a century… 8% down on the previous year… For reference this is 8.6 per million, and eg in the USA you’re almost five times more likely to be murdered.

A viral image which supposedly shows Nigel Farage visiting a child with terminal cancer in hospital isn’t real. It’s based on a real picture of a boy with cancer, which has then been edited with the help of AI to include the Reform UK leader. fullfact.org/politics/nigel…

Nigel Farage here falsely saying that asylum seekers jump the housing queue in front of veterans. In fact veterans have a special scheme that gets them close to the top of the list. Asylum seekers are legally banned from joining the list.

Nigel Farage(Reform): "The world would be a better & more secure place if America was in Greenland.. would America owning Greenland be better for the world.. it would" Govt: "Time & again Farage jets abroad to undermine Britain,, he's incapable of acting in national interest.."

🧵EXCLUSIVE: This story is wild. Nigel Farage's crypto plan for Britain was largely manufactured by top Trump-Russia influence operative and convicted fraudster Paul Manafort - who is working with an American Farage crypto donor /1 bylinetimes.com/2026/01/15/nig…

There it is. Farage and Reform would end our NHS. Millions of people could not afford to be ill under a Reform government.

This is utterly ludicrous. Farage is paid — by us — to attend Parliament. Now the Times are paying him to stay away. Unabashed media bias.

I am so hopping mad that twitter is limiting the visibility of this post. Seriously, if you are seeing it, and you appreciate it, please repost it so other people can too. ❤️🙏

How the BBC & ITV give disproportionate coverage to Farage & Reform: hard evidence from a serious study. BBC & ITV now give Reform more coverage than the Conservatives, more than the Lib Dems & nine times the Greens. Superb research from @Stephen_Cushion. enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/broadcast…