Reform's Zia Yusuf deletes post lauding apparent poll malpractice before 'family voting' claims
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesperson, has deleted an X post celebrating a satirical story of voters cheering for Reform in a polling station - before his party denounced claims the vote was coerced in "predominantly Muslim" areas of Gorton and Denton.
Last night claims emerged that there were high rates of “family voting”, the illegal practice of voters conferring, colluding or directing each other on voting, at the polling station.
On Friday morning, the Green Party won the Gorton and Denton by-election, with Reform coming second.
Green candidate Hannah Spencer won 14,980 votes, 40.7 percent of the total. Reform candidate Matt Goodwin came in second place with 10,578 votes (28.7 percent), and Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia received 9,364 votes (25.4 percent).
On Thursday afternoon, Reform’s Yusuf shared a post on X by a student saying: “Just took 93-year-old mum to vote, she’s registered blind. In a very loud voice she said, 'Which box for Reform?' A cheer went up from waiting voters.”
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“Love this!” Yusuf said, quoting the post.
The student, James Bennett, commented “Zia” with a crying emoji at 5:20pm.
Bennett clarified on X that his post was a joke, saying his mother is in fact aged 41, “not blind”, “living 3 hours from Manchester”, “hard left” and “very confused right now”.
Yusuf’s post has since disappeared.
On Thursday night, before the election results were announced, Yusuf, Reform's Goodwin and party leader Nigel Farage began to repeat allegations of “family voting”.
Farage said: “This is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas.”
Election observer group Democracy Volunteers claimed to have witnessed the illegal practice of 32 cases of family voting across Gorton and Denton.
Yusuf posted on X: “If this is in-person voting, just imagine the impact on the postal vote (likely decisive in low turnout elections).
“Time to wake up to what time it is.”
The by-election’s acting returning officer said polling station staff were trained to look for undue influence on voters, and insisted "no such issues" had been reported during polling hours.
On Thursday night, independent MP Adnan Hussain shared a screenshot of Yusuf’s now-disappeared post, saying: “Never heard of the term 'family voting' before.
“But this seems to be a pretty good example of it? Reform were encouraging it during the day, so why are they scapegoating Muslims now?
“Strange way to announce they've lost.”
Never heard of the term "family voting" before.
— Adnan Hussain MP (@AdnanHussainMP) February 27, 2026
But this seems to be a pretty good example of it? Reform were encouraging it during the day, so why are they scapegoating Muslims now?
Strange way to announce they've lost. pic.twitter.com/7Z0IVXSUAs
After losing the by-election, Goodwin declared, “We are losing our country. A dangerous Muslim sectarianism has emerged. We have only one general election left to save Britain.”
Farage claimed: “This election was a victory for sectarian voting and cheating.”
The Labour Party has also called on authorities to look into claims of high levels of family voting.
A Labour insider told Middle East Eye the party “didn’t shortlist a single local Muslim candidate.
“Then they noticed Muslims abandoned Labour in droves and called it sectarianism and family voting.
“Typical dog-whistle, we’re used to it by now.”
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