Farage: Reform candidate would have won by-election if only UK citizens voted

Nigel Farage has said Reform’s candidate would have won last week’s by-election if only British citizens had voted.

Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin came second to the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer in the Gorton and Denton by-election, with Labour in third.

Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Mr Farage has since said his party would limit voting in national elections to British citizens and remove the right from those with Commonwealth citizenship who qualify as UK residents.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, he said: “I’m absolutely convinced that amongst British-born voters, Matthew Goodwin came first in that election last week.

“Of that, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever.”

A Green Party spokesperson said: “This is dangerous, racist nonsense from a party who were well beaten, seeking to delegitimise the election, Donald Trump-style.

“In a democracy, everyone’s vote is equal and we attracted voters from across all communities, in all areas, including from those who said they were originally going to vote Reform.

“Farage has no idea who did and didn’t vote for him.

“And, as he said, he always knew they were going to lose. ‘If you don’t like the results of an election, change the electorate’ is the refrain of sore losers and anti-democrats through the ages.”

Mr Farage’s belief that allowing Commonwealth citizens to vote “undermines national sovereignty” and leads to elections being fought over international rather than domestic issues is behind the plan to remove their right to vote in national polls, Reform UK has said.

Asked if he was worried that the policy could be seen as an effort to cut out voters unlikely to support his party, Nigel Farage said that many other “normal” countries already do this.

He said: “I do believe for national elections they should be they should be voted on by British voters only, absolutely.

“Otherwise, we get a really, very, very perverse influence on our politics, where people are voting more about Gaza than they are about Gorton.”

Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said many other countries including the US and Japan already limit voting rights to citizens.

Mr Farage added: “We just want to be a normal country and normal countries protect their borders, protect their democratic systems, know what works and what doesn’t.”

Reform also wants to restrict postal voting.

Currently, anyone eligible to vote in UK elections can choose to do so by post but under Reform UK’s plans this would be limited to the elderly, disabled, serving armed forces personnel and those working overseas during an election.

Mr Farage warned on Monday of the “mass harvesting” of postal ballots.

“I don’t trust the postal voting system. I don’t trust the electoral register,” he said.

The Reform UK leader has complained about postal voting in the past, including when Ukip lost the Oldham West and Royton by-election in 2015 and when his Brexit Party lost the Peterborough by-election in 2019.

Reform UK MP Richard Tice questioned the validity of postal ballots when his party’s candidate lost the Rochdale by-election in 2024, stressing the result should act as a “serious wake-up call” to the electorate and those in power.

In none of those cases was postal voting fraud ever proved and none resulted in any convictions.

The latest Electoral Commission data, from 2024, shows no evidence of large-scale election fraud in the UK, with 94% of allegations resolved locally with “words of advice”, or resulting in the police taking no further action.

Reform has also asked police to investigate allegations of election fraud after reports of “family voting” – an illegal practice where two voters use one polling booth and potentially direct each other on voting.

Election observer group Democracy Volunteers warned it had witnessed “concerningly high levels” of family voting in Gorton and Denton.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “While the vast majority of people vote lawfully, any instance of family voting is unacceptable. It undermines confidence in our democratic process.

“It’s essential that every elector is able to cast their vote in secret and free from any form of coercion.

“It is a serious offense to accompany another person into a polling booth with the intention of influencing how they can vote and this can carry criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

“We encourage anyone with relevant information to assist Greater Manchester Police and we fully support the Electoral Commission as it considers the report.”