Gorton and Denton by-election is taking place
The turnout for the Gorton and Denton has been announced. The polls opened at 7am on Thursday (February 26) and shut at 10pm.
The hotly-contested by-election comes following the resignation of the previous sitting MP, Andrew Gwynne, last month. Mr Gwynne had served as an MP for the constituency since 2005, when it was known as Denton and Reddish.
In the 2024 general election, Mr Gwynne won the seat with over 50 per cent of the vote. He officially resigned on January 22. In his statement, Mr Gwynne, who was sitting as an independent MP after being suspended from Labour, cited “significant ill health” and mental health challenges.
The by-election was seen as a battle between the Greens, Reform and Labour. It has been hit by a row over ‘family voting’, after independent election observers claimed there were ‘extremely high’ cases of illegal ‘family voting’ at polling stations. ‘Family voting’ is when family members enter a voting booth together and collude or direct voting intentions. It is a criminal offence in the UK under the Ballot Secrecy Act 2023.
In the early hours of Friday morning, the election officials revealed the turnout. The turnout was 47.62 per cent, with 36,903 votes cast.
In comparison, the turnout in 2024 was 46.8 per cent, with 36,560 votes cast.
Follow live Gorton and Denton coverage and by-election results here