Police find no evidence of criminality in Gorton and Denton byelection
Police have found no evidence of criminality in the Gorton and Denton byelection after claims by Nigel Farage that it was “a victory for cheating”.Reform UK had asked Greater Manchester police (GMP) to investigate allegations of corrupt voting in the Greater Manchester contest, which the Green party won.The election observers’ group Democracy Volunteers said it had witnessed “concerningly high levels” of so-called family voting, where one family member dictates how others cast their ballot.However, GMP said on Friday its investigation had found “no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from voting”.Four observers from Democracy Volunteers had given accounts to police of about 32 potentially suspicious voting habits.
These include instances in which more than one voter goes into a booth at the same time, and people looking over the shoulder of voters.However, GMP said the volunteers had not alleged any verbal instruction or physical conduct that indicated one person was directing or coercing another about how to vote.The force said this was a “crucial part of the legislation to prove such an offence was committed” under the Representation of the People Act 1983.It added: “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 inquiry.”Farage, the Reform UK leader, called the findings an “establishment whitewash”.He said: “This isn’t good enough.We need proper oversight, real accountability, and the courage to admit when something isn’t right.Not another brushed-under-the-carpet report from the usual suspects.
”A Green party source said Reform’s attempt to “undermine” the result of the byelection had been shown to be “baseless”.They added: “The Reform candidate’s behaviour after the count was positively Trumpian – a petulant refusal to accept a clear outcome.While we didn’t expect much better from Reform, it was still concerning to see unsubstantiated claims and racist dog whistles, amplified by parts of the media.We shouldn’t allow confidence in our democracy to be corroded in this way.”As part of the month-long inquiry, police sought CCTV from all 45 polling stations in the byelection and all but four said footage was not recorded that day as it would have compromised the secrecy of the vote.
CCTV available from three of the polling stations showed no evidence of anyone directing or coercing another regarding how to vote, police said.Detectives also spoke to senior officials at 15 stations as well as the acting returning officer, none of whom received any reports of corrupt voting other than from Democracy Volunteers.Farage claimed after the result that his party had been the victim of “sectarian voting and cheating”.In a video post, he called the contest “a victory for cheating in elections”.He had asked police to investigate claims of family voting, calling the allegations “deeply concerning” and saying they raised “serious questions about the integrity of the democratic process in predominantly Muslim areas”.
The Green party won its first seat in the north of England as Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green party councillor, overturned Labour’s 13,000-vote majority,Spencer said: “It was a fair election, run within the law and one that saw me elected with an overwhelming majority,Throughout the campaign, our communities refused to be turned against each other, and that’s exactly what we’ll carry on doing,”A Green party spokesperson said: “New Green MP Hannah Spencer ran a positive campaign focused on the issues that mattered to local people, such as bringing down the cost of living and protecting the NHS,We’re so proud to have her elected to parliament, and will be taking this message of hope across the country in the upcoming local and Senedd elections.
”Labour came third in the tightly contested race, 5,616 votes behind the Greens on 14,980 votes, while Reform UK finished second with 10,578 votes.The Reform candidate, Matthew Goodwin, an academic turned GB News presenter, blamed his loss on “a coalition of Islamists and woke progressives”, which he said had “come together to dominate the constituency”.
Lloyds bank faces £66m court battle with car loan customers
Lloyds Banking Group is facing a court battle with 30,000 aggrieved car loan customers who are to abandon the City regulator’s official redress scheme amid fears it will shortchange consumers and favour lenders.The claims law firm Courmacs Legal is planning to file a £66m omnibus claim on behalf of borrowers who believe they were financially harmed by car loan contracts set up by Lloyds’ motor finance arm, Black Horse.The grievances are part of a much wider car loans commission scandal, in which drivers were overcharged for their loans due to unfair commission arrangements between lenders and car dealers.However, the omnibus case, which is expected to be filed in the coming weeks, means consumers are deciding to pre-emptively waive their rights to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) estimated £11bn compensation scheme, even before the final details are due to be set out on Monday. That is despite claims law firms such as Courmacs taking a 28% cut of any potential payout
UK government borrowing costs hit 5% as Iran war fuels bond market sell-off
UK government borrowing costs have risen above 5% amid an intensifying global bond market sell-off fuelled by the Iran war.The yield – or interest rate – on 10-year debt hit its highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, rising 13 basis points to 5.081%, as investors acted on concerns about the economic fallout from the conflict.Borrowing costs also rose for the US and eurozone governments, underscoring growing turbulence in the global financial system after Donald Trump’s extension of a deadline for a peace deal failed to soothe jittery investors.Financial markets worldwide slumped on Friday, extending falls seen since the outbreak of the war, with losses in London and across major US and EU trading hubs
Italy investigates beauty brands over concerns about young girls’ mental health
Italian regulators are investigating Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics over the apparent use of “covert marketing strategies” to sell beauty products to young girls that might be fuelling an unhealthy skincare obsession known as “cosmeticorexia”.The Italian Competition Authority said it was looking into promotions for skincare products such as face masks, serums and anti-ageing creams that in some cases appeared to target girls under 10.“These practices are linked to the broader issue of ‘cosmeticorexia’ – an obsession with skincare among minors,” the authority said.The cosmetics brands, which are both owned by the French luxury group LVMH, appeared to have adopted a “particularly insidious marketing strategy”, it said. This involved using “very young micro-influencers who encourage the compulsive purchase of cosmetics among young people, a particularly vulnerable group”
Ministers should ‘start doing stuff’ to help farmers and cut fuel costs, says Asda boss
Asda’s executive chair has called on the government to “stand up and start doing stuff” to support farmers and ease the price of fuel as he warned that food prices would inevitably rise as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.Allan Leighton said farmers were under pressure but the supermarket chain had so far received “a trickle of requests not an avalanche” of cost price increases from its suppliers, as they were under pressure from higher fertiliser, energy and fuel costs.“I do believe it will create inflation,” he said, adding that the pace of cost increases was volatile and quite different across the various commodities.Leighton also warned of “temporary shortages’” at petrol stations, as supplies are squeezed by the conflict in the Middle East, with the RAC reporting on Friday that the average price of unleaded petrol in the UK had risen to 150p a litre.Leighton accused the government of benefiting from £3bn of income from fuel duties as prices rose and said it should ease these duties or support farmers on energy or other costs
‘It’s fired people up’: support grows, including within Labor, for new gas tax to curb wartime profits
The gas industry is mobilising in opposition to a potential new tax on the sector as political momentum builds – including among Labor MPs – for the government to use the May budget to prevent producers profiting from the Middle East war.The Australian Energy Producers (AEP) chief executive, Samantha McCulloch, claimed a new tax would punish the same Asian trading partners Australia was leaning on to supply more fuel amid the global energy crisis.The gas sector was blind-sided by revelations the Treasury was modelling options for a new levy to capture windfall profits from gas and thermal coal companies, as well as potential changes to the Petroleum Resources Rent Tax (PRRT) and corporate tax.Government, industry and opposition sources believe the public mood on taxing the resources giants has shifted, giving the Albanese government cover to pursue changes it might have considered too politically risky a few months ago.The sources point to a campaign spearheaded by independent senator David Pocock, social media influencer Konrad Benjamin of Punter’s Politics fame and progressive thinktank the Australia Institute, which has highlighted how much tax gas companies pay
UK car production falls 17% as industry warns of ‘worrying’ decline
Fewer cars rolled off UK production lines in February in what the industry called an “extremely worrying” slump even before the impact of the Iran war was felt.Vehicle production was 17% lower last month on the same period in 2025, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, as exports dropped sharply.A further decline is expected in March, after the war sent global energy prices soaring and further dented consumer demand, a double blow for carmakers.Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “Another decline for UK vehicle production and exports is extremely worrying, given these figures pre-date the crisis in the Middle East. While the sector has made efforts to build resilience into its logistics and supply chains post-Covid, the conflict adds further strain
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